The process of water infiltration into soil provides the soil and groundwater with
water. It also affects runoff formation and soil loss. When the soil of a site is
homogeneous, the infiltration characteristics of its surface layer depend on the ve
getation
cover and human activity. The purpose of this study is to determine the hydro-physical
properties which affect infiltration into the soil surface layer at Snoubar Jableh Plantation
Site (Lattakia). This is in order to illustrate the impact of vegetal cover and human activity
on infiltration characteristics of soil. For this purpose, 20 field infiltration experiments
using a single ring were conducted on patches of coniferous and broad-leaved trees. The
results indicate that the soil has good infiltration characteristics, except in the oak plot
which showed low Ks in comparison with other species plots due to soil compaction and
human activity. The results also indicate that the decomposed organic material layer under
conifers protect soil against compacting and improve infiltration characteristics.
