Principles of Forest Hydrology

Book excerpt: Students and professors of hydrology, ecology, land-use management, forest and range management, soil science, physical geography, soil and water conservation, and watershed management will welcome this revision of the 1969 edition of An Outline of Forest Hydrology by John D. Hewlett and Wade L. Nutter. The student pursuing a career in forest and wildland resources soon learns that no science is more fundamental to the art of land management than hydrology, but hydrology as a science traditionally has been subordinated to hydrology as technique. Older texts have focused on methods and applications to the exclusion of principle, occasionally leaving the hydrological effects of land use and vegetation to be interpreted from techniques rather than from knowledge of process. Soil, atmospheric, and vegetal phases of the hydrologic cycle of have neglected in many texts intended for the college student. Hewlett’s new book focuses on natural processes and is intended to guide further study and to serve as a base for class lectures. The subject matter is organized to introduce key ideas and principles and to provide consistent terminology and clear graphic material to aid the student in comprehending the complex literature of hydrology.