Puechabon - France

The site is located on a flat area 35 km North-West of Montpellier. The forest is dominated by the overstorey evergreen tree Quercus ilex (80% cover) managed as a coppice for centuries with the last clear-cut performed in 1942. Mean annual precipitation is 883 mm with 75 % rainfall between September and April. However, because of the large fraction of rocks and stones in the soil profile, available water averages only 150 mm. Long-term 30% throughfall exclusion and thinning experiments has started in 2003. In 2007 a new and unique manipulative experiment has been designed to simulate the effect of extreme droughts on the functioning and the vulnerability of this ecosystem. A mobile rainfall shelter was installed above the canopy ...