Influence of prunning trees over the rain troughfall spatial distribution in dehesas

Abstract

Dehesas are dominant ecosystems in the region of Extremadura (SW Spain), being Quercus species, mainly holm and cork oaks the dominant tree species. Those species undertake a very important role on the dehesa landscapes as essential elements for the adequate functioning of the systems. Among other issues, tree cover affects the spatial distribution of rainfall. Tree crowns intercept rainfall leading to an irregular distribution of the water over the soil surface. Tree pruning, for regeneration or production, represents an activity which is carried out periodically over the dehesa trees, causing changes on tree crown architecture, and considerably reducing foliar biomass. In this work there is quantified the volume of rain to the surface of the soil under different coverage, analyzing the effects that pruning techniques can have of over the whole water resources and the possible repercussions on the soil system, in a zone of dehesa of the Cáceres province (Extremadura).