The lack of appreciable differences in throughfall found between the control and the low-intensity treatments may be the result of the increase in the ventilation of the residual trees and the higher evaporation rates during rainfall (Teklehaimanot et al.,1991). Thus, the reduction of the storage capacity of the control stand through low-intensity thinning does not appear to be enough to compensate for the increase in the evaporation rate when trees grow farther apart (Dunkerley, 2000). However, a drastic reduction in basal area (77% in our high-intensity thinned plots), which frequently occurs in forest-fire preventive silviculture or shelterwood systems, would enhance throughfall to 25–30% of the bulk rainfall.