Evaluating the effectiveness of forest crop to mitigate erosion using a sediment delivery distributed model

In this paper sediment yield data, measured from 1978 to 1997 in a small experimental Calabrian basin reafforested with Eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus occidentalis Engl.), and RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) coupled with a sediment delivery distributed model are used to evaluate the antierosive effects of this forest cover. At first, the soil loss measureinents carried out in two experimental plots, located in the basin, are used to evaluate the crop and management factor C of RUSLE far Eucalyptus coppice. The reliability of the selected C factor value is verified by comparing, at an event scale, the measured and the calculated sediment yield values at the basin outlet. Then, a Monte Carlo technique is used far evaluating the effects of the klowledge uncertainty and the stochastic variability of the model parameters on calculated sediment yield. Finally, at basin scale, the spatial variability of the crop cover is considered in order to estimate the sediment yield corresponding to scenarios having different percentages of the crop cover.