Hydraulic Property Data at the Santa Rosa Island Cloud Forest Restoration Site 2017-2019, Channel Islands National Park, California, USA

Santa Rosa Island, part of Channel Islands National Park off the coast of California, has a undergone a history of ecologic degradation due to introduced ungulate grazing for ranching (cattle and sheep) and hunting (deer and elk) purposes. Grazing in many parts of the island has resulted in widespread vegetation loss and subsequent erosion presumably causing changes in infiltration/runoff relations. In some areas, large sections of bedrock are exposed while other areas have thin soils left with much of the organic-rich materials removed. The reestablishment of healthy ecosystems on land severely degraded by long-term alternative use is challenging. This issue is especially critical in cloud forests where the soil must facilitate the vegetation’s optimal use of limited water. We conducted a series of experiments using several different techniques for measuring infiltration over different land cover types to better understand the processes that control infiltration, runoff, and plant water availability. This data release contains hydraulic conductivity, soil moisture, and hydrophobicity data