Hydric processes in forest ecosystems

This paper highlights the results of a research on hydric processes in different forest systems to evaluate the effectiveness on soil conservation. Reafforestations of pine (P. laricio Poir) and oak coppices (Q. pubescens Willd and Q. frainetto Ten.) where chosen because they are representative of conditions throughout the Mediterranean area. The interception, which is a function of the forest cover is a significant factor in the hydrological balance and represents a variable fraction of the occurrent rainfall while the stemflow represents a small fraction of the precipitation. In the pine stands rainfall did not cause any runoff. This was both because of the crown interception and the infiltration in the soil. It was, moreover possible to confirm that the reduction of density did not substantially modify the hydrological balance.