3rd Edition

Forest Hydrology An Introduction to Water and Forests, Third Edition

By Mingteh Chang Copyright 2013
    598 Pages 118 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Due to its height, density, and thickness of crown canopy; fluffy forest floor; large root system; and horizontal distribution; forest is the most distinguished type of vegetation on the earth. In the U.S., forests occupy about 30 percent of the total territory. Yet this 30 percent of land area produces about 60 percent of total surface runoff, the major water resource area of the country. Any human activity in forested areas will inevitably disturb forest floors and destroy forest canopies, consequently affecting the quantity, quality, and timing of water resources.

    Thoroughly updated and expanded, Forest Hydrology: An Introduction to Water and Forests, Third Edition discusses the concepts, principles, and processes of forest and forest activity impacts on the occurrence, distribution, and circulation of water and the aquatic environment.

    • Brings water resources and forest-water relations into a single, comprehensive textbook
    • Focuses on the concepts, processes, and general principles in forest hydrology
    • Covers functions, properties, and science of water; water distribution; forests and precipitation, vaporization, stream flow, and stream sediment
    • Discusses watershed management planning and practical applications of forest hydrology in resource management

    In a single textbook, Forest Hydrology: An Introduction to Water and Forests, Third Edition comprehensively covers water and water resources issues, forest characteristics relevant to the environment, forest impacts in the hydrological cycle, watershed research, watershed management planning, and hydrologic measurements. With the addition of new chapters, new issues, and appendices, this new edition is a valuable resource for upper-level undergraduates in forest hydrology courses as well as professionals involved in water resources management and decision-making in forested watersheds.

    Introduction
    Water Spectrum
    Forest Spectrum
    Issues and Perspectives

    Functions of Water
    Biological Functions
    Chemical Functions
    Physical Functions
    Socioeconomic Functions
    Mechanical Functions
    Political Functions
    Military Functions

    Science of Water
    Water in History
    Hydrosciences

    Properties of Water
    Physical Properties
    Hydraulic Properties
    Chemical Properties
    Biological Properties

    Water Distribution
    Globe
    United States
    Hydrologic Cycle

    Water Resource Problems
    Water Demand and Supply
    Water Quantity
    Water Quality
    Water Rights

    Characteristic Forests
    A Natural Resource
    Environmental Functions
    Functional Forests
    Threats to Forests
    Forests and Climate Change

    Forests and Precipitation
    Precipitation Processes
    Forest Interception
    Snow Accumulation and Snowmelt
    Do Forests Increase Precipitation?

    Forests and Vaporization
    Vaporization Processes
    Sources of Energy
    Evapotranspiration
    Forested versus Nonforested

    Forests and Streamflow Quantity
    Runoff Generation
    Watershed Discharges
    Deforestation
    Forest Fires
    Afforestation

    Forests and Streamflow Quality
    Water Pollutants
    Sources of Water Pollution
    Water Quality Determination
    Forest Practices

    Forests and Stream Sediment
    Soil Erosion Processes
    Watershed Gross Erosion
    Estimation of Sediment Yield
    Vegetation Effects
    Trends in Sediment Loads of the World’s Rivers

    Forests and Stream Habitat
    Stream Habitat
    Forest Impacts
    Forest Fires

    Forests and Flooding
    Folklore and Fallacies
    Flood Occurrences
    Flood Measures
    Forest Impacts

    Watershed Management Planning and Implementation
    Watershed Programs/Projects
    Watershed Inventory
    Watershed Analysis
    Watershed Management Strategies
    Watershed Management Plans
    Watershed Assessment

    Research in Forest Hydrology
    Research Issues
    Principles of Field Studies
    Research Methods
    The Wagon Wheel Gap Study

    Biography

    Mingteh Chang, PhD, is Regents Professor of Forest Hydrology and Professor Emeritus within the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.

    "The third revised edition offers exhaustive information regarding
    concepts, processes and fundamental principles of forest hydrology.
    This publication discusses functional properties, distributions of
    water, forests and precipitation, humidity, runoff, soils and
    sedimentation and also research approaches in the forest and water. In
    addition, the watershed management and practical applications in forest
    hydrology and water recourse managements are also discussed in this
    book."
    —Nachrichten, Neue Publikationen,2013

    Praise for the First Edition

    A textbook for most forest hydrology courses should not only cover topics on forest impacts on water but also provide the basics of water properties, movement, and storage in the atmosphere, soil matrix, and surface water bodies. Putting both major topic areas in one manageable textbook requires trade-offs that do not dilute either subject area too much, but rather skillfully blend the two together. Mingteh Chang has done just that in writing this book.
    —Richard C. Schultz, Professor of Forest Hydrology and Ecology, Iowa State University, in Forest Science, Vol. 49, No. 2

    The book can be used as a text for students in agriculture, forestry, and land-resources management, and as a reference for foresters, rangers, geographers, watershed managers, biologists, agriculturalists, environmentalists, policy makers, engineers, and others who may need such background in their professions.
    —Falhry A. Assaad, Consultant, Geologist, and Data Analyst