Evapotranspiration from bare, herbaceous, and aspen plots: A check on a former study

Soil moisture depletion was measured and evapotranspiration estimated on high elevation plots with three cover conditions: bare, herbaceous, and aspen‐herbaceous. Neutron moisture measurements were taken to a depth of 9 feet. The 4‐year average annual evapotranspiration losses were 11.28, 15.27, and 21.00 inches from the bare, herbaceous, and aspen‐herbaceous plots, respectively. Summer rainfall varied from 1.13 to 10.43 inches during this study. Soil moisture depletion to a depth of 6 feet and estimated evapotranspiration on these plots were reported by Croft and Monninger [1953]. The results of this present study substantiate the earlier report concerning the comparative water savings to be realized by vegetative manipulation. They show that removing deep rooted aspen can reduce the average evapotranspiration by about 6 inches per year from a 9‐foot profile.