Campo García, ADD.; Gualberto Fernandes, TJ.; Molina Herrera, A. (2014). Hydrologyoriented (adaptive) silviculture in a semiarid pine plantation: How much can be modified the water cycle through forest management?. European Journal of Forest Research. 133(55):879-894. doi:10.1007//s10342-014-0805-7. European Journal of Forest ResearchHydrology-oriented (adaptive) silviculture in a semiarid pine plantation: how much can be modified the water cycle through forest management?--Manuscript Draft-- Order of Authors Secondary Information:Abstract: Hydrology-oriented silviculture might adapt Mediterranean forests to climatic changes, although its implementation demands a better understanding and quantification on the water fluxes. The influence of thinning intensity (high, medium, low and a control) and its effect on the mid-term (thinned plots in 1998 and 2008) on the water cycle (transpiration, soil water and interception) and growth (Basal Area Increment, BAI) were investigated in 55-year-old Aleppo pine trees. Thinning enhanced a lower dependence of growth on climate fluctuations. The high intensity treatment showed significant increases in the mean annual BAI (from 4.1 to 17.3 cm2) that were maintained in the mid-term. Thinning intensity progressively increased the sap flow velocity (vs) in all cases with respect the control. In the mid-term, an increased functionality of the inner sapwood was also observed. Mean daily tree water use ranged from 5 (control) to 18 (high intensity) l tree-1. However, when expressed on an area basis, daily transpiration ranged from 0.18 (medium) to 0.30 mm (control), meaning that, in spite of the higher transpiration rates in the remaining trees, stand transpiration was reduced with thinning. Deep infiltration of water was also enhanced with thinning (about 30% of rainfall) and did no compete with transpiration, as both presented opposite seasonal patterns. The changes in the stand water relationships after ten years were well explained by the forest cover metric. The blue to green water ratio changed from 0.15 in the control to 0.72 in the high intensity treatment, with the remaining treatments in the 0. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 2 velocity (v s ) in all cases with respect the control. In the mid-term, an increased functionality of the inner sapwood was also observed. Mean daily tree water use ranged from 5 (control) to 18 (high intensity) l tree -1 . However, when expressed on an area basis, daily transpiration ranged from 0.18 (medium) to 0.30 mm (control), meaning that, in spite of the higher transpiration rates in the remaining trees, stand transpiration was reduced with thinning. Deep infiltration of water was also enhanced with thinning (about 30% of rainfall) and did no compete with transpiration, as both presented opposite seasonal patterns. The changes ...

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