THE STUDY RESULTS OF SOIL PROTECTION, WATER REGULATION AND WATER PROTECTION ROLE OF GEORGIA'S WETLAND MOUNTAIN FORESTS

Based on the latest methods of long-term stationary experimental research, the results of the study of protective functions (soil conservation, water regulation, and water protection) in the most common small mountain forest watersheds of Ajara has shown that a higher percentage of forest cover in a watershed leads to lower quantitative indicators of solid sediment, with significant amounts forming only as bed load sediment. Complex studies of water-regulating functions revealed that, against a backdrop of systematically intense precipitation, the overall water-regulating capacity of forest ecosystems is significantly diminished.Notably, in the dark-coniferous and broad-leaved forest belts of Ajara’s moderately humid zone, the role of water-regulating functions is generally negligible. The research further indicates that in both the humid and moderately humid regions of Ajara, the water protection functions of forests are primarily manifested in the reduction of suspended and bed load sediments from highly forested watersheds. While the water- regulating effect of these forests—specifically the reduction in the amplitude of runoff fluctuations during high-water periods—is only slightly diminished, their water protection function is clearly evidenced by the preservation of water quality in highly forested watersheds.