Studies in the Water Relations of Pinus Sylvestris in Plantation Conditions I. Measurements of Rainfall and Interception

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Abstract
Methods are described by which interception was measured in a 16-year-old plantation of Pinus sylvestris. Thirty-two % of the annual precipitation was intercepted and this proportion showed little seasonal variation. Of the water reaching the ground, between 15 and 30%, according to season, flowed down the trunks. The water needed to saturate the canopy and trunk surfaces was equivalent to 1.4-1.8 mm precipitation, but at least twice this amount could commonly be intercepted from precipitation exceeding 5 mm within 24 hours. This was because there was a fairly rapid disappearance of intercepted water between showers even in winter. Absorption of water by the foilage appeared to be negligible relative to the amount intercepted, and it was concluded that the major part of the intercepted water was evaporated. This implies a rate of evaporation which, whether calculated per rain-day or per month, in winter considerably exceeds the evaporation from an open water surface as calculated by Penman''s formula.

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