Acta Scientiarum Polonorum
Silvarum Colendarum Ratio et Industria Lignaria

Runoff due to different land cover characteristics (forest, agricultural use, urban facilities), is a different proportion of water balance in nature. The subject of the work is surface runoff from forest roads. The aim is to describe the relationship between the intensity of surface runoff from the forest ground road in the mountains and the intensity of precipitation. Runoff measurements were performed in the Wisła Forest District in 2004 on six sections of forest slope road with the ground surface, on 15 September, 9 and 16 October, with a frequency of 15 minutes, the rainfall, respectively, 9.6 mm, 5.2 mm and 2.8 mm. Determined correlation coefficients between the intensity of runoff and the precipitation intensity at different delays of the relationship (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes). For the best correlated data systems function describing the said relationship and the determination coefficient was given. Delay extreme runoff in relation to extreme precipitation can justify terrain features, vegetation cover, the state of the road surface and the degree of saturation of the land in road surface by water. The resulting correlations must be interpreted on the background information concerning the amount of precipitation from the period of about two days before measuring the runoff. The best correlation for larger and longer rainfall observed for the delay approx. 0–15 min. The decisive factor seems to be the saturation of ground in the road surface due to earlier rainfall. The less rainfall, after rainless periods, in the described conditions,  have the best correlation after about 60 minutes. Functions describing the said relationship for best correlated delays frequently take the form of a polynomial of the second degree with a fairly high coefficients of determination.