Effects of Clearcutting on Soil Water Depletion in an Engelmann
Spruce Stand Water Resources Research Soil water depletion was
monitored for five growing seasons on 0.4 hectare plots in a
mature stand of Engelmann spruce in northern Utah. Three plots
were then clearcut and in the first season soil water depletion
was 20 to 25 cm less than on an uncut plot. This change, which
represents a savings of water previously lost to
evapotranspiration, is considerably greater than reported for
comparable studies in aspen and lodgepole pine. The effects of
clearcutting on soil water depletion are expected to persist for
as many as 50 years. In the first winter after cutting, peak
snow water equivalent in the clearcut plots averaged 91 cm, or
31 cm greater than for the uncut control plots. Hart, G. E., and
D. A. Lomas (1979), Effects of clearcutting on soil water
depletion in an Engelmann spruce stand, Water Resour. Res.,
15(6), 1598–1602, doi:10.1029/WR015i006p01598.