WATER-RETENTION OF THE LITTER LAYER OF TREE-BASED SYSTEMS IN MT. PANGASUGAN, PHILIPPINES

Abstract

Tropical rainforests are frequently characterised by elevated temperatures and increased precipitation, which contribute to accelerated rates of soil erosion and leaching, hence, the key problems revolve around the loss of soil and water. The study evaluated the water-retention properties of the litter layer of five tree-based systems, natural forest, rainforestation site, narra plantation, mahogany plantation, and abandoned kaingin site in Mt. Pangasugan. Though the maximum water-holding capacity of the total litter layer and of the undecomposed litter layer did not vary across the five tree-based land covers, the maximum water retention capacity, which had the same trend with that of the effective water-retention capacity, were significantly higher in both the mahogany and narra plantations. Changes over time in the water-holding capacity were similar in the natural forest (7169 g kg^-1), the narra plantation (6891 g kg^-1), and the mahogany plantation (6427 g kg^-1). It is recommended to strengthen restoration and conservation efforts of natural forests to preserve the highly desirable hydrological properties of their litter layer. In addition, the use of mahogany and narra in tree plantation development show potential in forest restoration projects for soil and water conservation.