Analysis of Water Retention Capacity for Select Forest Soils in Poland

Abstract

The forestation index in Poland is approximately equal to 29.2% (according to GUS-Central Statistical Office-data from 31.12.2011). Poland has the largest forest area of the region after France, Germany, and Ukraine. Forests are commonly known for goods such as timber, food, fuel, and bio-products. Provision ecosystem services also include functions such as: watershed services -water quantity and quality, soil stabilization and erosion control, air quality, climate regulation and carbon sequestration, biodiversity, recreation and tourism, non-timber products, and cultural value. Soils as a habitat are one of the important factors that enable forestation development. Physically soil materials are simply described by several properties, i.e.: particle size distribution, soil bulk density, and particle density Besides mechanical composition of soils they are also defined using total porosity values, which enables us to determine maximal moisture content retained in the soils. The amount of the water kept inside the soils is often described in the form of the functional relationship between soil matrix potential (suction) and volumetric water content In a practical application this type of function is named soil water retention characteristic (SWRC) or pF curve