European forests are struggling due to recent droughts, and this study aimed to understand soil moisture changes in a Bavarian forest over a year. By using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), researchers found that the topsoil dried out from summer to autumn, but soil water content increased in winter. Anomalies in the topsoil were linked to tree positions, with pine trees showing lower resistivity than beech trees. ERT data helped estimate soil water content accurately, especially when combined with tree vitality information. This noninvasive method can improve our understanding of how trees absorb water during dry periods.