Riparian Environment Change and Vegetation Immigration in Sandbar after Sand Mining

This study investigated changes of hydrology, soil characteristics, riparian vegetation communities, and geomorphology in sandbars before and after sand-mining to determine the effect of sand-mining at upstream of Guemgang and Bochungcheon streams in Korea. Sand-mining events affected the mining area. They supplied organic matters and nutrients during flood. Sediment deposition caused soil texture change and expansion of vegetation area. However, riverbeds were stabilized after the disturbance. According to the analyses of aerial photographs, the vegetation area was significantly expanded in both dam-regulated streams and dam-unregulated streams after sand-mining. Willow shrubs advanced in disturbed area at an average of 10 years after sand-mining. It took willows trees 10.6 years to become dominant communities. Therefore, it took a total of 20.6 years for new riparian forest to form in sandbar after sand-mining. Our results confirmed that stream flow condition were dependent on vegetation recruitment in dam-regulated streams and dam-unregulated streams. For willow recruitment in unregulated streams, calculation of water level below dimensionless bed shear stress is important because low water level variation is a limiting factor of vegetation recruitment.