Forests and water

Forest water balance, its variations relative to climate conditions, species composition and structure of forests have each long been subjects of research at INRA, Nancy center in Champenoux. In the 1970's, Gilbert Aussenac began his research on natural conditions and the idea that the natural water cycle is closely linked to how forests function, to their growth and to their vulnerabilities. The joint research unit for Forest Ecology and Ecophysiology (EEF), based at INRA has continued this research and have since collected substantial data on different species, climate conditions and soil. It is this impressive database that led to the development of the BILJOU modeling tool and is used by this website.

The aim of our research on forest water balance modeling is to meet two primary objectives:

• to quantify the different water fluxes circulating in the forest ecosystem
• to characterize episodes of water stress, specifically drought: its duration, its intensity and its frequency.

The diagram below shows the main water fluxes circulating in the forest ecosystem. Click on the name of the water flux to access its detailed fact sheet with illustrations and bibliographic links for more information.