Abstract:Canopy transpiration is a major part of forestland water balance and a fundamental datum in understanding the planted forest ecophysiology in dry regions. Quantitatively analyzing variation of canopy transpiration induced by the environmental factors is beneficial for a better estimation forestland water balance and prediction the plantation ecophysiology. But the response mechanism of canopy transpiration to environmental factors may be different in different time scales, so it needs to be further understood. This study was conducted in a 42-year-old Larix principis-Rupprechtii plantation (a density of 1933 trees/hm2) at the middle position of a north facing slope in the Inner Mongolian Daqingshan National Nature Reserve, a semi-arid region of China. Firstly, the sap flow velocity in ten healthy and dominant Larix principis-Rupprechtii trees, soil volumetric water content and meteorological factors including air temperature, precipitation, solar radiation intensity, air relative humidity and wind speed, were observed during two growing seasons (May 1 to September 30) in 2016 and 2017 which precipitation was 435.00 mm and 348.80 mm, respectively. Then, sap flow velocity values which was measured by the thermal diffusion method, were upscaled to the forest canopy level. Finally, the relationship between canopy transpiration and the environmental factors at different time scales was analyzed. The results showed that the seasonal changes of canopy transpiration showed a single peak curve under the different time scales, that was, the trend of increase first and then decrease. In 2016 and 2017, the average value of daily canopy-level transpiration was 1.58 mm/d and 1.71 mm/d, respectively, and the total transpiration in the growing season was 241.30 mm and 260.97 mm, respectively. On the daily scale, air temperature, solar radiation intensity and saturated vapor pressure deficit markedly affected canopy transpiration. At the monthly scale, air temperature, wind speed, precipitation and soil volumetric water content were the main influencing factors of canopy transpiration. The correlation between transpiration and precipitation and air relative humidity increased from negative correlation on the daily scale to positive correlation on the monthly scale. In general, with time scale from small to large, the effects of air temperature, wind speed, air relative humidity, precipitation and soil water content on canopy transpiration increase, while the effects of solar radiation intensity and saturated vapor pressure deficit decrease. With the trend of increasing temperature and rainfall in the future, the growing season of Larix principis-Rupprechtii in the study area will be prolonged, and the canopy transpiration may increase.