Forest harvesting is associated with increased landslide activity during an extreme rainstorm on Vancouver Island, Canada
Safe operations of forest practices in mountainous regions require effective development planning to mitigate hazards posed by landslides. British Columbia, Canada, has for the past 2 decades implemented landslide risk management policies aimed at reducing the impacts of the forestry industry on lan...
Main Authors: | , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2015-06-01
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Series: | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
Online Access: | http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/15/1311/2015/nhess-15-1311-2015.pdf |
Summary: | Safe operations of forest practices in mountainous regions require effective
development planning to mitigate hazards posed by landslides. British
Columbia, Canada, has for the past 2 decades implemented landslide risk
management policies aimed at reducing the impacts of the forestry industry on
landslides. Consequently, it is required that timber harvesting sites be
evaluated for their potential or existing impacts on terrain stability.
Statistical landslide susceptibility modelling can enhance this evaluation
by geographically highlighting potential hazardous areas. In addition, these
statistical models can also improve our understanding of regional landslide
controlling factors. The purpose of this research was to explore the
regional effects of forest harvesting activities, topography, precipitation
and geology on landslides initiated during an extreme rainfall event in
November 2006 on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. These effects were
analyzed with a nonparametric statistical method, the generalized additive
model (GAM). Although topography was the strongest predictor of landslide
initiation, low density forest interpreted as regrowth areas and proximity
to forest service roads were jointly associated with a 6- to 9-fold
increase in the odds of landslide initiation, while accounting for other
environmental confounders. This result highlights the importance of
continuing proper landslide risk management to control the effects of forest
practices on landslide initiation. |
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ISSN: | 1561-8633 1684-9981 |