Four slope sections in eucalypt stands with distinct pre-fire soil surface conditions reflecting different land management practices were selected for the installation of permanent plots. Two slope sections were situated in the Jafafe area, and two in the Açores area.
At the base of each of the four slope sections, a set of four adjacent open (Figure 1) plots was installed using modified Gerlach troughs (Figure 2). In addition, two pairs of small bounded plots (identical to those used in the rainfall simulation experiments, Figure 3) were installed on each slope section.
Half of the plots are equipped with automated tipping-bucket devices (Figure 4) with associated datalogger (Figure 5), and some rainfall gauges are also placed.

Figure 1- Open plots instalation.

Figure 2 - Overflow tanks.

Figure 3 - Bounded plots.

Figure 4 - Tipping bucket

Figure 5 - Datalogger (prototype developed by P. Alfonso, C. Monteiro and H. Bastos).

Rainfall simulation experiments are being carried out in the Jafafe and Açores areas since the middle of August 2005.
Each rainfall simulation experiment consists of sprinkling water on a small plot during one hour, and collecting and measuring the amount of water leaving the outlet of the plot. Also the plot area is described before and after the experiment. The sprinkler used here is a portable rainfall simulator following the design of Cerdà et al. (1997) with some modifications (Figure 6).
At the moment, two rainfall simulation experiments are carried out simultaneously, one with a rainfall intensity of approximately 45 mm/h and one with a rainfall intensity of approximately 85 mm/h.

Figure 6 - Rainfall simulator.