After comparative analysis of the distribution characteristics of soil water and salt in farmlands (3 cotton fields and 1 orchard) and their shelterbelts in drip irrigation prevailing Kalamiji Oasis in the lower reaches of Tarim River, Northwest China through comparative tests and field monitoring, effects of the current drip irrigation pattern on farmlands within forest networks and their shelterbelts and main factors affecting salt-water dynamics in the soil within the forest network were studied and analyzed with the following conclusions obtained. (1) In Kalamiji oasis, the groundwater table in the fields lowers at a rate of 0.5 m a -1 as a result of popularization of drip irrigation and varies seasonally; it is relatively shallow in non-irrigation season and relatively deep in irrigation season; and over 1 m deeper in the latter than in the former. (2) As the impact of drip irrigation on soil never goes deeper than 80 cm, the irrigation supplies little water, almost nil, to groundwater, while the roots of farmland shelterbelt have to go deep into the soil to absorb water, thus leading to significantly lower soil water content in the shelterbelt than in farmland ( p
