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Water uptake

Started by Faron, January 16, 2012, 07:07:47 PM

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Faron

I am thinking about water uptake in a stand of trees.  We are talking about red maple, ash, pin oak, box elder, and a little cherry. They are about 12" dbh on down to saplings.   I understand during the growing season these trees pull a great deal of moisture from the soil.  Am I correct in thinking during winter when the trees are dormant, there is little or no uptake?  We had a very wet December, and the ground was pretty saturated.  I walked it today, and the soil was reasonably dry.  I would think during winter, the trees would actually retard drying due to shade and the trees restricting air flow, as compared to open grassland.  Any thoughts?
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Magicman

I have felled Red Oak trees during the Winter and after a good soaking rain.  Water would literally run, as in pour, from the bucked logs.
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Faron

I have too, and usually most of that water ends up in my boot. :D  Since there is no transpiration out the leaves, do you think it has much effect on soil moisture?
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

WDH

No, not much effect.  Trees maintain a constant moisture content in the wood year round.  In the growing season, the leaves are water evaporation factories, using the water for photosynthesis and pull a great deal of water from the soil.  In the dormant season, the factory is shut down and the tree maintains the equilibrium moisture content, and since there is little transpiration, there is less moisture drawn from the soil.   
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Faron

Thanks, WDH.  I am trying to figure out the overall effect of removing all the brush from the property versus just removing enough trees to let in enough sunlight to establish grass.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Woodwalker

Don't remember where or who I heard this from, but someone told me a mature oak could pull 150 gallons of water per day from the soil. Can any one collaborate this?
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WDH

I would not be surprised at that.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

caveman

Woodwalker, I have read in two publications two different estimations as to how much water a mature oak could transpire a day.  A publication put out by the Florida Forest Service for the FFA states that a mature oak can transpire 900 gallons a day while Forests and Forestry states 100 gallons a day (if I remember correctly).  The 100 seems more reasonable to me.  Caveman
Caveman

stavebuyer

I cut a cypress bottom in west TN where the slightly higher ground was being pastured with scattered shade trees. The adjoining farmer had soybeans planted right to the fenceline. Beans were taller than the fence except in a 100' semi-circle where a 36"dbh hickory stood in the fenceline. Every soybean plant in that semicircle had withered and died from drought and none ever got more than about 8" tall. In a dry year trees will drain a swamp better than drain tile.

Ron Wenrich

I always notice that corn doesn't do as well close to a fence line during dry weather.  But, the fence row trees are primarily trees without deep taproots. 

I heard that 900 gallon figure, as well.  1 inch of rain on 1 acre = 27,000 gallons of water. 

If you do some rough calculations, a 24" tree has a basal area of 3.14.  A well stocked stand of oak is at about 90 BA or roughly 30 trees.  That uptake would be 27,000 gallons per day.  To sustain that rate, you would need 30 inches of rainfall a month.  That's unrealistic.

Seems to me that the 100 gal/mo is a more realistic figure.  That would be 3,000 gal/day.  That comes out to a 3.3" rainfall per month.  Our area gets about 35" of rain on average.  Last year we got 70" and we could hardly get around. 
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Rocky_Ranger

That 100 gallons/day sounds right to me Ron, if I remember right though, you have to account for the "free" water and not the hygroscopic kind unavailable to trees.  Also, it will vary by season - allowing for some depletion and recharge along the year as the growing seasons change to dormant.  I bet the 100 will work for most areas.

Looking on the Net, the values are all over the place.......
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