Spatial disposition and extension of the structural root system of Douglas-fir.

Abstract Root systems of Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) trees in The Netherlands were measured to study relationships between root system structure and size, and stem and crown diameter and growing space, all of which are relevant to tree stability. Twenty-one trees, planted between 12 and 37 years previously, were winched over and the structural portion of their root systems to a diameter of 0.5 cm and the crown perimeter were mapped. Retrospective measurements were made of the extension of major lateral roots. Size and shape of the crown projections were only poorly correlated with root system width. Reconstruction of spatial development of the root systems revealed that root spread was very limited during the first 5 years after planting. Highly significant positive correlations were found between stem diameter at 1.3 m and root biomass, and with the cross sectional area of the structural roots.

[1]  D. C. F. Fayle,et al.  Distribution of Radial Growth During the Development of Red Pine Root Systems , 1975 .

[2]  K. Göhre.  Die Douglasie und ihr Holz , 1958 .

[4]  R. F. Sutton,et al.  Root and Root System Terminology , 1983 .

[5]  D. Fayle.  Extension and Longitudinal Growth During the Development of Red Pine Root Systems , 1975 .

[6]  K. Rennolls,et al.  A Root Anchorage Model for Shallowly Rooted Sitka spruce , 1990 .

[7]  M. P. Coutts,et al.  Components of tree stability in Sitka Spruce on peaty gley soil , 1986 .

[8]  ROOT SPREAD CAN BE ESTIMATED FROM CROWN WIDTH OF DOUGLAS FIR, LODGEPOLE PINE, AND OTHER BRITISH COLUMBIA TREE SPECIES , 1964 .

[9]  S. Eis,et al.  Root System Morphology of Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, and Douglas-fir , 1974 .

[10]  R. K. Hermann,et al.  Root biomass studies in forest ecosystems , 1977, Pedobiologia.

[11]  S. Eis.  Root Grafts and their Silvicultural Implications , 1972 .

[12]  M. P. Coutts,et al.  Development of the Structural Root System of Sitka Spruce , 1983 .

[13]  R. G. McMinn,et al.  CHARACTERISTICS OF DOUGLAS-FIR ROOT SYSTEMS , 1963 .

[14]  T. C. Booth.  Silviculture and management of high risk forests in Great Britain. , 1974 .

[15]  Dr. Wolfgang Böhm.  Methods of Studying Root Systems , 1979, Ecological Studies.

[16]  K. Reynolds,et al.  Estimating probability of intertree root contact in second-growth Douglas-fir , 1982 .

[17]  E. Renshaw,et al.  Morphology of the Structural Root System of Sitka Spruce 1. Analysis and Quantitative Description , 1983 .

[18]  D. J. Campbell,et al.  Root Extraction Force Measurements for Sitka Spruce , 1989 .

[19]  J. Petty,et al.  An Assessment of the Static and Dynamic Factors Involved in Windthrow , 1988 .