Rainfall Interception by Beech, Larch and Norway Spruce

Interception loss is related to the nature of the rain. The spatial variability of rainfall on the forest floor and the variability between stemflow of trees are examined in an attempt to discover their relationships. Comparison between rainfall on the forest floor and stemflow with rainfall over the canopy shows that leaf fall produces very little effect on interception loss in the deciduous species. Relative to precipitation outside the forest, there is concentration of rainfall on certain parts of the forest floor. This is most evident in beech {Fagiu sylvatica); spruce (Picea abies) concentrates water to a lesser extent, and in larch {Larix decidud) a negligible area of the floor receives more than gross rainfall. The implications of this comparison with respect to water con-servation are discussed