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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2023, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (4): 46-56.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.LYKX20220890

• High-quality development of forestry in the Yellow River Basin • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Water Balance Characters of Pinus tabuliformis Plantation in Xining City of China

Wenhao Liu1,2,Xiao Wang2,Wenbiao Duan1,*,Pengtao Yu2,Yanhui Wang2(),Yipeng Yu2   

  1. 1. School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University Harbin 150040
    2. Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, CAF Beijing 100091
  • Received:2022-12-17 Online:2023-04-25 Published:2023-07-05
  • Contact: Wenbiao Duan E-mail:wangyh@caf.ac.cn

Abstract:

Objective: This study was aimed to deeply understand and quantitatively evaluate the hydrological effects of plantations ofPinus tabuliformis, an important afforestation tree species in Xining City, Qinghai Province of China, for providing scientific basis for the coordinated forest-water management. Method: Representative sample plots of middle-aged and closed stands of P. tabuliformis plantations were selected in the Huangshui Forest Farm, Xining City. During the growing season of 2021 (June-October), the variations of precipitation in open field, canopy intercession, stemflow, throughfall, tree transpiration, forest floor evapotranspiration, and soil moisture were monitored simultaneously, and the water yield from sample plots was calculated based on water balance. Result: The study showed: 1) The precipitation in the growing season amounted to 396.5 mm, while the canopy interception, tree transpiration, forest floor evapotranspiration amounted to 117.6, 109.4, 187.5 mm, respectively, accounting for 29.66%, 27.59%, 47.29% of precipitation during the same period, and showing an obvious monthly variation of firstly increase and then decrease. 2) The water storage of 0-100 cm soil layer was increased by 130.2 mm, showing an extra water input of 189.3 mm from outside (deep soil layers and upslope). The volumetric soil moisture of 0-100 cm soil layer varied as a consumption period from June to August, showing an overall decrease trend with values of volumetric soil moisture of always below 10%, indicating the existence of soil drought stress; while as a recovery period from September to October, showing a fluctuating upward trend with values of volumetric soil moisture of always above 9.3%. 3) The total evapotranspiration in the growing season amounted to 414.5 mm, which was 18.0 mm higher than the precipitation. After considering the influences of extra water input and soil water storage changes, the net water yield from the stand plot was calculated as ?18.0 mm, indicating that the plantation did not contribute to, but used/decreased the water yield from hillslope or watershed. Conclusion: In conclusion, even if the precipitation in the growing season of 2021 was higher than the mean annual precipitation of Xining City, the evapotranspiration of the closed stand of P. tabuliformis plantation cannot be satisfied by the natural precipitation under the semi-arid climate of Xining City. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the stand stability against drought stress by lowering the tree density (canopy density) to reduce stand evapotranspiration or by appropriate irrigation to make up the water deficit, so as to ensure the desired dominant functions of urban landscape plantations.

Key words: plantations of Pinus tabuliformis, water balance, canopy interception, tree transpiration, forest floor evapotranspiration, water yield from forestland, Xining City

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