Sediment Yield and Storm Flow Response to Clear‐Cut Harvest and Site Preparation in the Ouachita Mountains

Clear‐cut harvest and site preparation, including crushing the residual vegetation, burning, and contour ripping, were applied to three small watersheds in Oklahoma. Three undisturbed forested watersheds served as controls. First‐year sediment losses averaged 282 and 36 kg/ha and storm flow water yields averaged 22.9 and 31.7 cm on clear‐cut and uncut watersheds, respectively. The lower water yield on cut watersheds may have been due to contour ripping. Treatment differences in sediment yield were significant the second and third, but not the fourth, year following treatment. Storm flow water yield from clear‐cut watersheds was significantly higher than from uncut watersheds the second year but not the third or fourth years. Absolute levels of sediment yield from clear‐cut and control watersheds were relatively low in all years of the study. The overall impact of harvest and site preparation on total suspended solids levels in runoff was small and short‐lived.