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Article: The role of epiphytes in rainfall interception by forests in the Pacific Northwest. II. Field measurements at the branch and canopy scale.
- Article from:
- Canadian Journal of Forest Research
- Article date:
- April 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 NRC Research Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract: To determine how epiphytes affect the canopy hydrology of old-growth Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) forests, we measured rainfall interception by individual branches and an entire stand from March 2003 to May 2004. Epiphyte-laden branches at heights of 3.1, 24.8 and 46.5 m remained partially saturated for most of the wet season and required more than 30 mm of rainfall to become saturated. We used the mean, minimum, and individual storm methods to estimate canopy water storage capacity. Canopy water storage capacity averaged 3.1-5.0 mm, but these are probably underestimates of the maximum canopy water storage capacity, because the canopy was ...