[Soil moisture dynamics in forest land and wasteland of Loess Plateau]

The dynamics of soil moisture stored in a wasteland and in a forest land in the sub-humid climate region of the Loess Plateau was measured with neutron moisture meter for three successive years. Within the depth of 0-320 cm, the increment of soil water in the test 3 years was respectively -165.7 mm, -15.2 mm and -115.2 mm at the upper and lower position on north slopes and the lower position on south slope of the wasteland. Soil water increased by 17.2 mm at the upper position on north slope of the Chinese pine forest land, after > 380 mm water was consumed yearly by tree transpiration. It is suggested that forest land is essentially different from wasteland in soil water income/expense. The necessity of conducting the approaches for gaining available water of forest land was put forward.