Quantifying How Terracing Reshapes Soil Water–Canopy Interactions and Stabilizes Transpiration Dynamics in Pinus tabuliformis Forests on the Loess P

ABSTRACT

Terracing is widely applied for soil and water conservation in semi‐arid regions; however, its influence on forest ecohydrological processes remains insufficiently quantified, as previous studies have largely emphasized erosion control rather than plant–soil–atmosphere interactions. This study evaluated how terracing regulates these interactions in Pinus tabuliformis plantations on the Loess Plateau, China. Field measurements during the 2023–2024 growing seasons quantified soil water content (SWC), canopy conductance (Gc), and stand transpiration (T_stand) under terraced and unterraced conditions. Terraced plots maintained higher SWC (0.11 vs. 0.09 m ³  m ⁻³ ; +17%–23%) and greater T_stand (0.39–0.52 vs. 0.20–0.29 mm d ⁻¹ ), with peak differences of 80%. Terracing delayed diurnal transpiration peaks and enhanced midday fluxes, indicating differences in vegetation water‐use dynamics under improved soil water availability. T_stand correlated strongly with SWC ( R ²  = 0.362, p  < 0.001), whereas transpiration stability improved by 38%. These findings demonstrate that terracing increases soil water availability, regulates soil–plant–atmosphere interactions and supports more stable vegetation water use under water‐limited conditions in semi‐arid forests.