A flood of trouble The November 2021 flooding of farmland in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley has raised questions about the potential role that nearby and distant forest management could have played. UBC Forestry Prof. Younes Alila’s research into the hydrology of harvested lands has linked forest practices, such as clear-cutting, with hydrologic extremes, including contributing to an increase in the frequency and severity of floods in low-lying plains such as the Fraser River Basin. Here are some of the factors at play.
Cut rate percentage • The greater the number of trees removed from a forested area, the less vegetation is present to absorb and retain rainwater and snowmelt in canopies and soils
Topography • M ountains and snow-capped peaks have different hydrological considerations than hilly or flat terrain
19 Branchlines | Spring 2023