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 asmall experimental Calabrian basin reafforested with Eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptusoccidentalis Engl.), and RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) coupledwith a sediment delivery distributed model are used to evaluate the antierosiveeffects of this forest cover. At first, the soil loss measureinents carried out in twoexperimental plots, located in the basin, are used to evaluate the crop andmanagement factor C of RUSLE far Eucalyptus coppice. The reliability of theselected C factor value is verified by comparing, at an event scale, the measuredand the calculated sediment yield values at the basin outlet. Then, a Monte Carlotechnique is used far evaluating the effects of the klowledge uncertainty and thestochastic variability of the model parameters on calculated sediment yield.Finally, at basin scale, the spatial variability of the crop cover is considered inorder to estimate the sediment yield corresponding to scenarios having differentpercentages of the crop cover.