Using a Tree as a water collector?

[tuttle]

I'm trying to work out a method to collect rain water from trees that are in my horses field, no water supply and wanted to take advantage of the trees umbrella.

I have had 3 thoughts to achieve this, but would like to hear any other solutions that people have tried.

1. To put a series of small sails in the tree to guide the fall, but the wind would do damage to the sails and branches.
or
2. Use chains as a way to run the water from point to point and create a drop zone. Attaching them at a different positions in the tree, then bring them together.
or
3. Use rope to achieve the same as the chain method.

Any ideas would help.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Why not setup a horizontal tarp system out in the open low to the ground and funnel the water into a container? Or...the same, hung from the low branches of the tree.

 

[tuttle]

Thats a great thought, I can see that working and with some clever guy lines the wind could be put at bay.

 

[guymayor]

Good idea; done in the desert to collect condensation to drink, per Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the Little Prince author.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I read an article about a tech college in a NW South American country, can't remember which, that designed a billboard as a way of condensing water out of the air. It was an arid area with high humidity. Very clever!

 

[evo]

Check out this, http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/books/volume1/book-reviews-volume-1/

I lived in Tuscon and the author lived only a few blocks away. I didn't know it at the time, and I wish I would have knocked on his door. His landscape was freakishly lush for the region. He cut sections out of the curb to collect road run off in basins to recharge the aquifer and native garden ... I never read his books cover to cover, and I can not recall any tree specific systems but you should get some ideas.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Water collecting billboard

 

[Treebeard]

I have always imagined setting up small tarp catches under branches that funnel to downspouts that fill a reservoir. Though I was envisioning being able to grow a garden of sorts in the trees.

 

[Richard Mumford-yoyoman]

Re: Using a Tree as a water collector? *DELETED*

Post deleted by yoyoman, just was not that constructive.

 

[Knowledgequest]

Imagine a synthetic tree structure collecting water out of the ground via negative pressures and transpiration

http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2008/09/stroock-lab-creates-first-synthetic-tree