Author(s): Akiyoshi Sasaki; Yasuharu Watanabe; Takahiko Masumoto
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Driftwood; Trapping function; Riparian forests; Sandbars
Abstract: This study focuses on the driftwood trapping function of riparian forests and aims to clarify the behavior of flowing driftwood and verify the positions at which riparian forests on sandbars can trap driftwood effectively from the viewpoint of riparian forest management. The form of a river channel and the riparian forest vegetation conditions at the middle part of the Tokoro River in Hokkaido (Japan) were reproduced in an experimental channel to enable experiments on driftwood behavior at a variety of flow rates and examine the trapping of driftwood by riparian forests. The experiment on driftwood trapped by riparian forests was conducted for two cases. Most driftwood was trapped by riparian forests upstream of sandbars. The pieces that flowed down without being trapped were caught by other riparian forests upstream of subsequent sandbars. The locations at which driftwood was captured varied by the time of flooding, and it was found that riparian forests situated upstream of sandbars were effective in trapping driftwood.
Year: 2010