The effect of forest rehabilitation on runoff and hydrological factors in the upstream area of the Ubolratana Reservoir in Thailand

Thailand's forests in reservoir watershed areas are declining at an alarming rate due to land use demand. Reforestation aiming at maintaining optimum forest areas becomes a top priority in reservoir management planning which needs hydrologic responses as inputs. This study aims at measurable assessment of the changes in hydrologic responses of the Ubolratana Reservoir in northeastern Thailand due to increasing forest areas. The assessment was done in two parts: (i) forest areas by CA Markov model and (ii) rainfall–runoff by Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. Assessment results indicate that increasing forest areas cause a decrease of runoff, peak flow, and hence, inflow volume into the reservoir. The optimum size of forest area was found to be much larger than the existing size, confirming the need for existing reforestation. Additional benefits of pursuing reforestation include less erosion and sedimentation which are required in reservoir management planning.