Information on the water chemistry of precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, soil water, and stream water by comparing of China-fi r plantation and natural hardwood forests is severely lacking. The purpose of this study is to investigate the water chemistry of precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, soil water, and stream water in Lien-hua-chih experimental watershed for comparing the difference between the China-fir plantation and natural hardwood forests. The results showed that the pH values of precipitation averaged 4.9 and increased to 5.2 and 6.3 as the precipitation interacted with the canopy and stems of plantation and natural forests. Cation concentration of precipitation showed the trend as follows: NH4 ^+>Na^+>Ca^2+>K^+>Mg^2+. Anion concentration of precipitation showed the trend as follows: HCO3^->SO4^2->Cl^->NO3^->F^-. The pH values of soil water at surface depths of 15, 30, 60 and 90 cm with ranged from 4.5-4.8 (plantation forest) and 4.1-4.3 (natural forest), indicating that the pH values of soil water in natural forest lower than plantation forest. SO4^2- and NO3^- concentrations of soil water in national forest high than plantation forest, indicating that SO4^2- and NO3^- pollutants of precipitation in plantation forest after clear cutting cannot infiltrate into soil and accumulated in depth of soil, thus forming low concentrations in plantation forest. The relationship between of the water chemistry and hydrological cycle in plantation and natural forest watershed needs more field observations to be corroborated and to provide the information for theoretical analysis in the future study.
Information on the water chemistry of precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, soil water, and stream water by comparing of China-fi r plantation and natural hardwood forests is severely lacking. The purpose of this study is to investigate the water chemistry of precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, soil water, and stream water in Lien-hua-chih experimental watershed for comparing the difference between the China-fir plantation and natural hardwood forests. The results showed that the pH values of precipitation averaged 4.9 and increased to 5.2 and 6.3 as the precipitation interacted with the canopy and stems of plantation and natural forests. Cation concentration of precipitation showed the trend as follows: NH4 ^+>Na^+>Ca^2+>K^+>Mg^2+. Anion concentration of precipitation showed the trend as follows: HCO3^->SO4^2->Cl^->NO3^->F^-. The pH values of soil water at surface depths of 15, 30, 60 and 90 cm with ranged from 4.5-4.8 (plantation forest) and 4.1-4.3 (natural forest), indicating that the pH values of soil water in natural forest lower than plantation forest. SO4^2- and NO3^- concentrations of soil water in national forest high than plantation forest, indicating that SO4^2- and NO3^- pollutants of precipitation in plantation forest after clear cutting cannot infiltrate into soil and accumulated in depth of soil, thus forming low concentrations in plantation forest. The relationship between of the water chemistry and hydrological cycle in plantation and natural forest watershed needs more field observations to be corroborated and to provide the information for theoretical analysis in the future study.