AbstractLarge land areas in Sweden are planned to be planted with high producing, short rotation forest stands of willow in the beginning of the 1990s. Since willow is a highly hydrophilic species, this new land use may have strong implications on water resources. To assess these implications, evaporation ofSalix viminalisand Salix viminalis x caprea stands in lysimeters was analysed with the simple, yet physically realistic KAUSHA model. Parameter values for the Lohammar equation were deduced (b= 100 m3kg−1,kmax= 0.01 m s−1), believed to be applicable to other sites. Simulated evaporation during the 1980 growth season for a normal stand with a production of 12 tonnes of dry matter per hectare per season was 526 mm, of which 375 mm was transpiration, 56 mm interception evaporation, and 95 mm soil evaporation. For an optimally irrigated 20‐tonnes stand, the total evaporation was 584 mm, of which 430 mm was transpiration. As a comparison, Penman open water evaporation was 430 mm. To avoid soil water stress in the 20‐tonnes stand, 140 mm was needed as irrigation, equivalent to 25 per cent of the mean annual precipitation. Since intensively cultivated willow plantations seemed to be using much water, it was concluded that introduction of this agri‐forestry practice must be carefully planned to make use of this property, e.g. in biological filters or in reclaiming water‐