Seasonal and periodic variability of stemflow, throughfall, and interception loss of Oriental beech stands in Shast-Kalate forest

Variations in leaf phenology, precipitation characteristics, and meteorological conditions may cause the seasonal change in the quantity and quality of precipitation components (including stemflow, SF; throughfall, TF; and interception loss, I) of deciduous stands. This study was conducted in an Oriental beech stand located at Shast-Kalate forest, with semi-humid climate. In order to measure I, a total of 31 trees were randomly selected. Field measurements of gross precipitation (PG), SF, and TF were made over a period of one year from November 2005 to November 2006. Total PG was 827.1 mm. Mean proportion of I (I:PG) were obtained during spring (52.4%), summer (66.1%), autumn (58.2%), winter (53.5%), and the leafed (56.5%) and leafless (56.7%) periods. ANOVA revealed an significant difference of SF:PG, TF:PG, and, I:PG (p