Summary:

The process of penetration of rainwater from the atmosphere into the pedosphere consists of a multitude of transitional elements. One of them is the forest ecosystem. Variation in the amounts of water reaching the forest floor depends primarily on the size and construction of tree crowns (canopies), but also on the distance from the trunk. The ability to temporarily catch the rainwater is called interception. In the field, measurement of the interception, due to the methodological and technical complication is a difficult task to perform.
The aim of the present study was to construct an apparatus for measuring the amount of water reaching under the crowns of trees, precise calibration and testing accuracy of methodology. 16 measuring devices were set under the crown of each of the trees included in the study, the 1th apparatus was modified to test the rainwater runoff on the trunk, while the 18th measured rainfall outside the beech stand. Increases in precipitation were recorded at certain intervals, which in turn provided a spatial-temporal image of the water storage capacity of tree canopies. For the realization of this stage, rain gauges containing overflow cylinders were prepared. The counter counted the number of tilts of the calibrated cylinder, and on this basis the volume (amount) of precipitation during a given time interval was determined. Once, the test was intentionally carried out under the canopy of a single tree. This treatment will allow in the future for computer modeling of the results, depending on the desired leaf canopy size. The result of measurement work carried out is a graphical interpolation of the spatial data.
The study was carried out in Experimental Forests of University of Agriculture in Krynica Zdrój (southern Poland). For the study, the tree with well-developed canopy were selected. In the future, it is planned to use the equipment manufactured as part of the present study and extend the study to cover other forest tree species.