Tomáš Vichta

Given the ongoing climate warming that can lead to water scarcity, water retention has been on the forefront of forest ecosystem services. Water harvesting pits on forest roads are one of the possible engineering measures that can help mitigate some of the negative impacts forest roads have on the hydrological regime of the forest ecosystem. The aim of the research is to inform the scientific and professional public about the function and potential of water harvesting pits under forest road culverts and to offer insight into the significance of expected benefits of these objects for water retention and improvement of forest stand hydrological conditions. In this study, standard engineering methods were used to design and build water harvesting pits connected and not connected to culvert mouths and to equip the whole surrounding area with soil moisture and water level sensors. During the two-year study period, a number of irrigation experiments were also performed. The goal was to observe and evaluate the distribution of water from the pits to the surrounding soil and forest stands. Even though water harvesting pits and similar water retention objects on the forest road network seem very beneficial on paper, data from our research does not fully support it. According to our results, the benefits obtained seem much smaller than originally expected to a point that the viability of such measures is probably very low both from the forest stand and water management standpoint. More research is definitely needed in a wider variety of conditions and with a longer time frame.

Hydrophysical soil properties are critical determinants of agricultural sustainability and ecosystem resilience. These properties influence soil–water dynamics, nutrient cycling, and overall soil health. Although the potential of agroforestry to mitigate soil degradation is well-established, a comprehensive synthesis of its effects on hydrophysical properties in European contexts has been lacking. This review systematically analyzes 40 studies examining the effects of woody vegetation in European Agroforestry Systems (EAFS). Findings reveal that woody components generally enhance hydrophysical soil properties across diverse EAFS. A consistent decrease in bulk density and increase in porosity were reported, leading to improved water infiltration, retention, and storage capacities. Hedgerows and shelterbelts were particularly effective in increasing hydraulic conductivity and mitigating surface runoff and erosion, with positive effects localized near woody vegetation. Silvopastoral systems demonstrated significant improvements in soil water content and infiltration rates, particularly in Mediterranean regions. However, variability was evident, influenced by tree age, species composition, spatial configurations, and management practices. Critical research gaps were identified, including limited data on subsoil dynamics, geographic biases favouring Mediterranean systems, and methodological inconsistencies across studies. Addressing these gaps through standardized protocols and multidisciplinary approaches is essential to fully realise the potential of EAFS in enhancing soil functions and adapting agro-ecosystems to climate challenges. Implementing tailored management practices that consider local climatic and edaphic conditions is essential for maximizing the hydrological and ecological benefits of EAFS. Graphical abstract

Factors such as poor management of target tree species, planting regime and location, along with ongoing climate change, have the potential to reduce shelterbelt functionality and affect the physical and chemical properties of soil. In this study, we compared soil texture and carbon and nitrogen at 0–10 and 10–20 cm within and on the windward and leeward sides of an established windbreak. Windbreak soils typically had lower carbon and nitrogen levels than the surrounding arable soil, and also showed a higher proportion of sand (1.5–2.0 mm) than arable land, especially at 0–10 cm. Differences in windbreak soil textural differentiation were more significant at 10–20 cm, especially on the windward side, which showed a higher proportion of finer particles (< 0.002 mm and 0.002–0.01 mm) than the leeward side. The proportion of sand in arable soil increased gradually, however, from the outer boundary of the windrow to the furthest sampling point. Our results showed that soil properties close to the windbreak and within the windbreak itself are highly responsive to windbreak permeability and tree planting management, with possible negative implications for local ecosystems.

In this study, we investigate the combined effect of different rainfall‐runoff event types and antecedent soil moisture (ASM) on runoff processes in the headwater elementary discharge area of a small forested upland catchment. The study focuses on (i) the relationship between soil moisture thresholds and runoff generation; (ii) the combined effect of ASM and tree vicinity and (iii) the relationship between different rainfall‐runoff event types and different types of runoff (baseflow and stormflow). The results suggest that ASM has a strong impact on local runoff generation processes. Soil water content (35%–36%) threshold exceedance was related to stormflow runoff generation caused by the activation of quick preferential flow paths in the soil during storm events, especially in the upper and the deepest soil layers. At the same time, unexpected non‐linear increases in baseflow runoff ratios were documented during dry, precipitation‐free, periods and when the 31%–34% soil moisture threshold was exceeded, presumably due to the hydrological connection of farther slope areas during these conditions. Multiple stormflow periods, which exhibited the lowest runoff coefficient, were the most significant events in terms of water retention and soil water recharge due to increased vertical hydrological connectivity enabling more rapid transport to deeper soil layers. However, this rainfall type occurred least often over the study period. The important role of forest stands (individual trees) in creating spatial patterns of soil moisture and preferential infiltration paths to deeper soil layers was also confirmed. These results contribute towards a better conceptualisation of hydrological behaviour in elementary headwater discharge areas and highlight the potential dangers associated with expected increases in extreme weather events.

In an upland forested micro-catchment during the growing season, we tested soil responses to precipitation events as well as soil water content (SWC). We asked ourselves if what is the difference of SWC response to precipitation events depending on the presence and proximity of a tree? The environmental heterogeneity of the small 7.5-ha headwater area was captured by soil probes at specific locations: (i) probe measurements of SWC at 10-, 30-, 60-, and 100-cm depths; (ii) resolution of near-tree (NT) and between-tree (BT) positions; and (iii) resolution of four slope classes. The results revealed significant differences between the hydrological responses of the soil. NT soils had faster infiltration but were also faster to dry out when compared to BT soils, which were less affected by the presence of trees. Water input threshold values, measured as the precipitation amount needed to cause a significant increase in SWC, were also significantly different, with NT positions always lower than BT positions. Total infiltration of the topmost NT and BT soil layers reached 185 and 156 mm during the study period, corresponding to 43% and 36% of the total 434 mm of precipitation, respectively. Infiltration into the deepest horizon was significantly higher in NT soils, where it reached 114 mm (26%) as opposed to 9 mm (2%) in BT soils, and was indicative of significant vertical hydraulic bypass flow in the proximity of trees. These observations contribute to better understanding the hydrological processes, their nonlinearity, and the expansion of conceptual hydrological models.

This one-year study focuses on the responses of a soil environment to the implementation of traditional forest management practices in oak–hornbeam stands with the following treatments: cut (C), cut + litter raking (CR), cut + grazing (CG), cut + litter raking + grazing (CRG) and control (Ctrl). The cut was conducted in 2018 through extremely heavy thinning. In autumn of 2017 and 2018, we sampled the soils, focusing on microbial functional diversity (FD) assessments using BIOLOG Ecoplate^TM. After one season, the FD was the highest in the Ctrl stand and the lowest in the CRG stand. Furthermore, we detected significant seasonal differences in soil reaction, nitrate nitrogen content, phosphatase activity and microbial biomass among the treatments. In particular, the Ctrl stand was defined via FD indices and biochemical and biological soil properties that contrasted mainly with those of the CRG stand defined by the content of mineral nitrogen forms. The soil properties did not differ substantially in the remaining treatments. Of the 31 carbon sources defining FD, 6 were treatment-specific (putrescine, L-arginine, L-serine, L-threonine, D-cellobiose and glycogen), while the remaining carbon sources mainly displayed either uniform high or low activity across the treatments.