In forest conditions, surface runoff and soil agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater are generally low because of the surface agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater cover. If the litter layer is disturbed, then agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater and erosion rates can increase by several magnitudes. Disturbances can be agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater, such as wildfire, or human-agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater, such as harvesting or prescription burning for agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater management. Roads adversely impact forest soil productivity by directly reducing the agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater area and by causing the greatest amount of agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater erosion. Harvesting activities reduce surface cover, and agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater the soil, leading to increased runoff and erosion. Erosion generally decreases productivity of forests by decreasing the available soil water for forest growth and through loss of agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater in eroded sediment.
For many years research has related soil erosion to productivity, with most activities focusing on agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater or rangeland conditions. The exact relationships between erosion and productivity are unclear and to define this relationship, considerable agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater is necessary over a wide range of soil and plant conditions.
Harvesting methods vary in degree of agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater. Most erosion comes from agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater trails on timber harvest units because of the reduced infiltration rates and disturbance to the agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater layer. The accelerated erosion caused by timber agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater may result in deterioration of soil physical properties, nutrient loss, and degraded stream agriculturalcompactdisturbanceecosystemerosionharvestinginducedlitternaturalnutrientsorganicproductiveresearchrunoffskidsoilwater quality from sediment, herbicides, and plant nutrients.