Snowpack dynamics of southwestern aspen forests.

Abstract

While quaking aspen forests in the Southwest have long been noted for their production of forage for wildlife and domestic livestock, for their protective cover of watersheds, and for their visual attractiveness, little is known of their contributions to the water balance of an area. An important part of the water balance of an aspen forest is the snowpack accumulation and melt processes. To obtain empirical information necessary to describe the snowpack dynamics of aspen forests (and compare these dynamics with those of ponderosa pine forests), snowpack measurements were taken at one-to-three week intervals during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 winter seasons. Peak snowpack accumulation in aspen forests was greater than that in ponderosa pine forests for both seasons. Snowpack melt rate in aspen forests was greater than that in ponderosa pine forests for the 1979-80 season, but limited data prevented analysis of snowpack melt rates for 1978-79. Forest density variables (basal area, number of stems, and volume) were correlated with peak snowpack accumulation and snowpack melt rate, although this correlation was not high. A precipitation index and forest density variables were used to develop inventory-prediction equations for snowpack accumulation and melt in aspen forests.