Determining the Effectiveness of Different Water Harvesting Techniques and Covering Materials in Afforestation Studies

Water is the most important factor limiting diversity yield. In arid and semiarid areas with insufficient rainfall, the limited availability of irrigation, its high cost, and problems such as salinization also limit afforestation efforts. With climate change, the risk of desertification and erosion is increasing in these areas, where rainfall is increasingly decreasing, in land devoid of vegetation. Sustainable and reasonable afforestation in these areas depends largely on rainfall. Water harvesting, the accumulation of precipitation that passes into surface runoff within the soil profile, is effectively used in arid areas. This study, conducted between 2015 and 2019, investigated the effects of contour banks and eyebrow banks, a micro-catchment water harvesting technique, on soil water conservation in afforestation studies with Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani). Cover materials were also applied as sub-themes, and plastic, stone, sawdust, and control materials were tested. As a result of the experiment, the highest soil moisture content was found in the KŞSp (381.90 mm) and EYEP (368.69 mm). Statistically significant differences were found in the control soil moisture content of 248.35 mm for the cover materials, while the plastic, stone, and sawdust cover materials were 375.30, 328.48, and 294.59 mm for the respective plastic, stone, and sawdust covers. At the end of the experiment, plant height was measured as 125 and 99 cm for the contour and brow berms, respectively, and the differences were found to be significant. It was observed that the plastic cover materials provided a 100% increase in plant height compared to the control.