Abstract
Soil moisture levels during 1960–1980 were compared for two areas within a 101 ha watershed in the Oregon Cascade Range. In winter 1962–1963, the old-growth Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) forest in one area was clearcut. The site was then lightly broadcast-burned in September 1963. An adjacent forested area was left undisturbed as a control. In summer 1963, the upper 120 cm of soil in the clearcut averaged over 10 cm more moisture than that in the forested control. By 1967 these surpluses in the clearcut had declined to become deficits of at least 2 cm less moisture than in the control. These deficits, which were presumably caused by a rapid increase in plant cover after the light slash burn, persisted in the upper 30 cm of soil throughout the rest of the study. The fluctuations in soil moisture in the treated area are extensive enough to influence forest regeneration and watershed hydrology.
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