Synergies and trade-offs in the management objectives forest health and flood risk reduction
This study has elaborated on the relations between the two forest management objectives of forest health and flood risk reduction. For this, the researchers have provided a theoretical background on related concepts and have presented a working-definition for forest health. The different aspects of how a forest potentially can affect the flood hazard have been reviewed. This included the forests’ influences (1) on the discharge of water from the landscape into channels, as well as (2) its influences on the characteristics of the channel and its riparian area and their respective influence on the transport of water, sediment, and debris.
The review’s results and discussion suggest that the two objectives are largely synergetic. However, in direct proximity to watercourses trade-offs might occur. This is especially due to the ambivalent relation of living vegetation and deadwood to flood hazard. In places where no susceptible infrastructures to clogging exist, diversely structured vegetation and deadwood should be supported due to its beneficial effects on water retention and channel characteristics.