This study deals with the soil moisture distribution and its effect on the potential growth and adaptation of the over-story species in north-east Chalkidiki. These species are: Quercus dalechampii Ten, Quercus conferta Kit, Quercus pubescens Willd, Castanea sativa Mill, Fagus moesiaca Maly-Domin and also Taxus baccata L. in mixed stands with Fagus moesiaca. Samples of soil, 1-2 kg per 20cm depth, were taken and the moisture content of each sample was measured in order to determine soil moisture distribution and its contribution to the growth of the forest species. The most important results are: i) available water is influenced by the soil depth. During the summer, at a soil depth of 10 cm a significant restriction was observed. ii) the large duration of the dry period in the deep soil layers has less adverse effect on stands growth than in the case of the soil surface layers, due to the fact that the root system mainly spreads out at a soil depth of 40 cm iii) in the beginning of the growing season, the soil moisture content is greater than 30 % at a soil depth of 60 cm, in beech and mixed beech-yew stands, is 10-15 % in the Q. pubescens stands and it's more than 30 % at a soil depth of 60 cm in Q. dalechampii stands.
