Soil Moisture

AUS-TDG-FOR-SMO General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 10 to 25 %

Optimal Range: 10 to 25

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: OptimalRange

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard CompositeFramework Guard Point Guard

Evidence & Context

An optimal soil moisture range is one that supports overall ecosystem health, sustained productivity, and ecological resilience within the context of production forestry. This range is generally considered to be within the Plant Available Water (PAW) spectrum. PAW is defined as the amount of water held in the soil between Field Capacity (FC) and the Permanent Wilting Point (PWP). Field Capacity (FC) represents the soil moisture content after excess water has drained away following saturation (e.g., after significant rainfall or irrigation) and the rate of downward water movement has materially decreased. FC typically corresponds to soil water potentials of around -10 kPa to -33 kPa. Like PWP, the VWC at FC varies considerably with soil texture: Loamy Sand: approximately 10% VWC, Sandy Loam: approximately 17% to 22.5% VWC. Based on general plant physiology and soil science principles, an optimal range for plant water availability can be considered from FC down to a soil water potential where plants begin to experience significant water deficit. METER Group, a provider of environmental monitoring instrumentation, suggests an optimal plant water potential range from approximately -2 to -5 kPa (on the very wet side, near saturation) to around -100 kPa (representing the drier end of optimal conditions before significant deficit stress sets in). Soil moisture levels below the VWC corresponding to -100 kPa would indicate that plants are entering a deficit situation. The VWC at -100 kPa also varies by soil type: for instance, it is typically below 10% VWC for sandy soils but around 25% VWC for silt loams.

Metric Definition:

Volumetric Water Content (VWC) within the Plant Available Water (PAW) range, between Field Capacity (FC) and a soil water potential of approximately -100 kPa.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the optimal soil moisture range that supports ecosystem health and productivity, measured as Volumetric Water Content within the Plant Available Water range in temperate dry woodlands and native grasslands under production forestry.

Justification:

This range supports active plant growth, transpiration, nutrient cycling, and other key ecological functions without inducing significant water stress.

Sources (2)

Preview of A guide to managing Box Gum Grassy Woodlands - DCCEEW, accessed August 4, 2025

A guide to managing Box Gum Grassy Woodlands - DCCEEW, accessed August 4, 2025 Journal

Soil moisture release curves—What they are. Why you need them. How to use them., accessed May 15, 2025,

Soil Moisture

Benchmark Value

Scoring Curve

Contributing Benchmarks

Evidence & Context

Sources (2)

Supporting Sources (22)

Context

Lifecycle

Notes

Related Benchmarks