Comparisons are being made between four types of vegetation cover: conifers, broadleaf trees, heath and pasture. Equipment installed at each site (see instrumentation page for more details) includes

• At least five neutron probe access tubes, some to depths of 9m
• Lysimeter trays, to detect saturated flow and provide samples for soil water quality analysis
• Capacitance Probes, to provide real-time information about soil water content and potential at specific depths

The conifer site is a 30-year-old Corsican Pine (Pinus nigris) plantation. (Pictured: Ian Calder and Andy Dixon (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) working on drilling rig).

Broadleaf woodland is represented by 62-year-old oak trees (Quercus robur). (Pictured: Tom Nisbet and Ian Reid taking soil cores.)

Two non-agricultural land cover types are being investigated and are used as experimental control sites.
 
 

Heath (dominated by Calluna vulgaris) has been the predominant land cover type in this region in the past 500 years. Before the advent of (now) widespread irrigation, agricultural productivity was very low due to the area's poor soils, their high drainage characteristics and low water-holding capacity. (Pictured: Julii Brainard manually installing an access tube).

Our pasture location was previously managed under a nitrate sensitive, low inputs scheme. This site is used mainly for silage production. (Pictured: Drilling Rig. at time of access tube installation)

Both tree types are at or very close to their maximum growth rate. All sites are underlain by sandy, fast-draining soils, parent material being the Triassic Sherwood Sandstone. 

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