1

Adaptation of the SCS unit hydrograph method

to the conditions in Polish forests

AndrzejCiepielowski
1
, Jzef Wjcik
2
, Kazimierz Banasik
1


Abstract
The shaping of technical objects serving for increasing water resource:
dams and walls of reservoirs, weir profiles, flow-down devices etc. constructed
within the small retention development program requires using methods being
simple but correct in hydrological aspect. The SCS unit hydrograph is one of
these methods. Beside its basic version, it is partly used in various hydrological
models, e.g. SEGMO (Banasik et al.) for calculating maximum discharge being
the effect of stormy rains. The use of the SCS method at a broad scale on forest
areas in Poland was not possible without extending the range of the CN
parameter values according to the requirements contained in silvicultural
principles and without working out forest soil maps depicting infiltration
potential adopted in the method of four soil groups A, B, C, and D.
In the framework of research works at the Forest Research Institute in
Warsaw there were new values of the CN parameters (Tab. 1) worked out,
suitable for Polish forests. Data on forest monitoring were used for working out
maps for forest districts, and soil maps from the soil-site managing plans.
The report presents the effects of works on adaptation of the SCS unit
hydrograph adapted to Polish conditions on the example of the Kozienice Forest
District. A part of the report was also devoted to the organization of forest
monitoring (Fig. 1) that since 1989 is the basic source of information on forest
environment, not only for forest service but also for hydrologists and hydro
technicians.

Keywords: forest, monitoring, SCS method

Organization of forest monitoring in Poland
The data on forest monitoring and soil-site maps for forest districts are the
source of information on forest environment that can be used at hydrological and
hydro technical works.
The goals of forest monitoring are as follows:
- define spatial diversity and monitor health condition of forests,
- analyze cause-effect relations between health condition of forest and
biotic and abiotic factors of the environment,
- assess the level of species diversity in plants of forest floor,
- work out short-term forecasts of changes in health condition of forest.

1
Warsaw Agricultural University, Nowoursynowska Str. 166; 02-787 Warsaw
2
Forest Research Institute, Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920 roku Str. No 3; 00-973 Warsaw
2

Tasks of forest monitoring:
- supply information to administrative units of State Forests on forest
condition for to undertake optimal planning, forest tending and managing
decisions,
- collect information useful at formulation of forest and ecological policy of
the state,
- fulfill international obligations signed by Poland in the framework of the
Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Pollution, Convention on
Biological Diversity, and resolutions of the Strasbourg and Helsinki
Ministerial Conferences on Protection of Forests in Europe.

The beginnings of forest monitoring go back as far as to 1984, when on the
decision of the State Forest Board, under scientific supervision of the Forest
Research Institute, a system of air pollution measurements was established for
forest areas (the so-called technical monitoring). Initially the measurements of
air pollution were made on over 2000 measuring points.
In 1989 the Forest Research Institute began to start the monitoring of
damage to forest (biological monitoring) through establishing about 1500
permanent observation plots of the I rank (SPO I) and carrying out first
observations on morphological features of sample tree crowns. The Permanent
Observation Plot is a fragment of forest containing a group of 20 trees chosen
from the dominating stand. Since 1991 the forest monitoring is in the State
Environment Monitoring system, co-ordinated by the State Inspection of
Environmental Conservation.
In 1992 the forest monitoring was extended with an entomological
monitoring covering leaf-eating (defoliating) pests of coniferous trees.
In 1994-1995 148 permanent observation plots of the second rank (SPO
II) were established in pine, spruce, oak, and beech stands. Measurements of
volume and stand volume increment were carried out on those plots,
measurements of concentration of wet deposit and of air pollution were started
using the passive method, and soil monitoring was initiated.
In 1996 phytopathological monitoring was started on SPO II and pine
seed quality assessments too. In 1997 a monitoring of chemical composition of
tree foliage was started. Since 1998 the assessment of the diversity of forest
floor vegetation has been carried out, as well as of the frequency of occurrence
and vitality of natural vegetation. In 1999 a monitoring of carabid insects was
started. Organization of permanent observation plots of the III rank (SPO III)
(Fig. 1, and Fig. 2) is started. SPOs I were located in pine, spruce, fir, oak,
beech, and birch stands less than 20-year-old. The distribution of the plots
reflects area, species, and age structure of forests in Poland. As much as 60
sq.km of forest area of the country falls to one sample plot. From among 1461
3
SPO I, as many as 431 plots are distributed in a network 16 x 16 km, and they
are a component of the European network of forest monitoring.






Fig. 2. Distribution of first and second level permanent observation plots (SPOs)
in nature forest regions




4


The permanent observation plots of the II rank (SPO II), 148 in number,
were established in pine and spruce stands, 50-60-year-old, and oak and birch
stands 70-90-year-old, by 2 or 3 in number per each nature-forest province of
Poland. A unit SPO II is composed of 400-450 trees growing on an area with the
space close to a square or a rectangle with known size of sides and angles, this
making possible calculation of its size. Within the range of a SPO II there a SPO
I is located most often.
The planned SPO III are a link joining the forest monitoring system with
the integrated monitoring and research program oriented to an analysis of
functioning of forest ecosystems in varying environmental conditions.
The SPO III will be equipped with meteorological stations, rain samplers
on open space, samplers of under crown precipitation, down flows over the
stem, and soil lysimeters distributed under the horizon of ectohumus (the
organic surface layer) at the depth 20 and 80 cm.
In the coming five-year period about 10-15 SPO III will be established,
selected from SPO II.
Three such plots will start in 2002:
- on the area of light man pressure (The Bialowieza Forest District, the
Bialowieza Primeval Forest),
- on an area with a medium level of environmental pollution (Chojnow
Forest District, Masovia Province),
- on the area of ecological disaster from seventies and eighties (Szklarska
Poreba Forest District, Sudety Mountains).


Calculating direct runoff with the SCS method

The SCS unit hydrograph consists in determination of maximum
discharge caused by effective stormy precipitation, basing on the concentration
time and direct runoff. Using coordinates of typical hydrogenic waves in a
sizeless pattern one can define, for a given catchment with the area of 50-100
sq.km in size, a flood hydrograph (Chow ven te 1967, Ciepielowski 1998). The
SCS concept is used in the SEGMO model (Banasik et al. 2000), where at
transformation of the effective precipitation into the direct runoff there the
concept models of Nash and Wackerman were used. Determining the
concentration time does not bring difficulties because there are plenty of
formulae (eg. Kirpich, Carter, Kerby, Kreps) that can easily be used. Calculation
of direct runoff is however a more difficult matter, especially on forest areas,
where respective CN values are required. In the classic method there the direct
runoff is identified with the effective precipitation but in the SEGMO model the
5
effective precipitation is transformed into runoff on the background of concept
models. The effective precipitation (direct runoff) is expressed in the formula:

0 when 0 25 . 0 - Pj ; Pj-0.2S>0

+
-
=
S Pj
S Pj
Hj
8 . 0
) 2 . 0 (
2


where:
S maximum potential retention (in mm) of the catchment defined on the basis
of the curve number (CN) calculated from the formula:
4 . 25
10
1000
S
CN
+
=
Pj total precipitation

Curve numbers of infiltration potential depend on terrain cover and soil
types A, B, C, and D. The number of soil groups in some states of the USA (e.g.
Indiana) is extended (A-1, A-2, B-1, B-2, B-3, C-1, C-2, C-3, D-1, and D-2).
The use of the SCS method at a broad scale on forest areas of Poland is
not possible without extension of the range of CN parameter values according to
the requirements of silviculture principles and without elaborating forest soil
maps depicting infiltration potential. In the framework of the research works of
the FRI Warsaw new CN values (Tab. 1) suitable for Polish forests have been
worked out.
6


Tab. 1. Hydrologic curve numbers for different soil groups
for moisture condition II

z stand density




Maps of infiltration potentials of forest catchments

Using the SCS method, the division of soils into A, B, C, D categories,
soil-site master plans for forest districts and the forest monitoring data, and
especially blocks 7 and 8 (Fig. 1) one can work out maps of infiltration
potentials of forest areas in various patterns: within boundaries of forest
administration units (sub-district, district), hydrological units (catchments and
domains) or in chosen ecological regions. Such maps are used at site type
assessments in regard to moisture, at planning of small retention facilities, and at
the choice of water management system.
At the SCS method, in the A soil group there are soils specific for good
permeability (infiltration coefficient k = 0.127 0.191 mm . min
1
), in Group B
over-average permeability (k= 0.064 0.127 mm . min
1
), in Group C
below-average permeability (k= 0.021 0.064 mm . min
-1
), and in Group D
soils of very slight permeability (k = 0 0.021 mm . min
-1
). Soils in Group A are
Soil groups Kind of area
cover, condition A B C D
Managed forest
dense (z > 0.7) 30 55 70 77
medium dense (0.3< z <0.7) 36 60 73 79
sparse (z < 0.3) 45 66 77 83
Forest glades
forest cultures up to 3-year-old 48 68 79 84
forest cultures over 3-year-old 42 64 75 81
Windfall areas
recent - forest cultures up to 3-year-old 50 69 80 85
forest cultures grown up over 3-year-old 44 65 76 82
Skidding trails
recent 66 76 83 86
eroded 70 79 85 87
Forest roads 71 80 86 88
Forest compartment lines 65 76 82 86
Young forest cultures
up to 3-year-old 52 70 81 86
over 3-year-old 46 66 77 83
7
little susceptible to the shaping of surface runoff; soils of Group D have high
potentials in this regard.
In the Zala river catchment, down to the reservoir profile of 6.75 sq.km on
area, there a map of soil infiltration potentials (Fig. 3, Tab. 2) was worked out.

Table 2
Area of soils as related to infiltration potentials (the Zala river catchment,
Kozienice Forest District)

Area Soil group
sq.km %
A 2.75 40.74
B 0.32 4.74
C 3.68 54,50
Total area 6.75 100


The soils with permeability below average (Group C 54,5%) dominate
in the catchment, fairly permeable soils of Group A constitute 40,7%, and the
soils of permeability over average of Group B constitute 4,74% (Fig. 3).
Assuming the cover of the catchment with managed forest, medium dense
(density 0,3-0,7) one can assess the number of the infiltration potentials curve,
which is 57.
8


Fig. 3. The map of infiltration potential of the aa river catchment down to
profile the Kozienice Forest District, the Pionki Forest Subdistrict (soil groups:
A fairly permeable; B permeable above average; C permeable below
average; D very poorly permeable)


Conclusions
For to calculate flood hydrograph for Polish forests, and especially
hydrograph culminations one can use the SCS unit hydrograph method (Chow
ven te 1967) after introducing new CN values adapted to silvicultural principles
(Tab. 1).
On the basis the soil-site management masterplan and forest monitoring
data there was a proposal made on the example of the Zala stream catchment in
the Kozienice Forest District to elaborate maps of infiltration potentials in forest
soils and determine average values of the CN index. This map would be useful
at planning, and the SCS method at sizing objects of small retention in forests.


9

References

Banasik K, Gorski D, Ignar S.2000. Modeling flood hydrographs and the quality
of runoff from small non-controlled agricultural catchments. Warsaw
Agricultural University Publishers.


Chow ven te. 1967. Handbook of applied hydrology. McGraw-Hill Book
Company. New York-San Francisco-Toronto-London.


Ciepielowski A. 1998. A strategy for increasing water retention in forests on the
example of selected Forest promotion Areas (typescript in the FRI Warsaw).

Wawrzoniak J, Malachowska J, Wojcik J, Lewinska A. 2000. The state of forest
damage in Poland in 1999 assessed on the basis of monitoring data. State
Inspection of Environmental Protection. The Library of the Environmental
Monitoring.
direction of information flow
Surveys planned
Level III
Condition
Level I Level II
Monitoring
Pest insects
Ambient Air quality
Tree growth
Crown Condition
Phytopathology
Ground vegetation
Forest
Intensity monitoring
Fig. 1. Organisation of Forest Condition Monitoring
Health
Pinus silvetris
seed
Soil chemistry

Meteorological
condition
All surveys
from Level II

Monitoring
Opadw
Podokapowych

Soil solution
chemistry