An Effect of forest floor condition on radiocesium outflow in mountainous forest of Fukushima, Japan

Niizato, Tadafumi  ; Sasaki, Yoshito ; Watanabe, Takayoshi ; Amamiya, Hiroki*

A three-year monitoring of Cs outflow associated with soil erosion from decontaminated and burnt sites using an experimental plot was conducted in a mountainous forest of Fukushima, Japan. Corresponding with recovery of the forest floor cover, such as undergrowth and litter layer, the Cs outflow during the monitoring period in the rainy season of Fukushima decreased from 3.24% to 0.61% and 2.79% to 0.03% in the decontaminated and burnt sites, respectively. The forest floor cover ratio of 60% or more is a threshold for an effect on the Cs outflow in the monitoring sites. In the burnt site, a change of dominant outflowed materials from soil particles into litter and its fragments also contributes to the decreasing in the Cs outflow. A protective function of forest floor cover against the soil erosion inherent in the natural forest environment is effective for the migration control of the Cs outflow.