Responses of mature roadside trees to root severance treatments

Benson, Andrew R.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Morgenroth, Justin

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126448

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…One common form of damage involves the linear removal of tree roots on one or more sides of a tree (Smiley 2008, Benson et al 2019a). This pattern of belowground damage can result from various activities such as trenching, grade changes, road or sidewalk installation or replacement, or building construction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To gain deeper insights into the long-term effects of root loss due to trenching, we revisited the research plots from Benson et al 2019a, five years after the initial wounding. We measured root regrowth and compared it to our original treatments to determine if providing a larger buffer resulted in benefits associated with root regrowth, in addition to the physiological benefits observed in our original study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Root Regrowth and Discoloration in <em>Quercus virginiana</em> Mill. Following Linear Trenching

Koeser,

Grabosky,

Benson

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background: As long-lived organisms, urban trees often encounter development and redevelopment activities in close proximity during their lifespans. These activities can damage tree roots, often through methods like root severing during trenching or excavation. Methods: In 2017, we simulated trenching damage on mature Quercus virginiana Mill. trees at three different distances from the base (3x, 6x, and 12x the stem diameter). After five years, we revisited these trees to assess root regrowth based on the cut root's cross-sectional area (CSA) and distance from the base. Results: We observed regrowth in all but 38 (6.7%) of the 557 cut roots revisited. The lack of regrowth in some roots was not associated with our original treatments, the CSA of the roots at the time of trenching, or distance between the cut root end and the trunk (minimum P-value = 0.841). On average, the observed CSA of the regrowth was 22.2% of the original root's CSA. Only our original trenching treatments significantly predicted the level of regrowth observed five years after pruning (P-value = 0.024). Discoloration due to root pruning was minimal. Conclusion: In summary, our findings indicate that root systems require many years to recover from trenching damage. Increasing the distance between trenching activities and trees may have a minor effect on root regrowth but primarily helps reduce initial stress on the tree.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Root Regrowth and Discoloration in <em>Quercus virginiana</em> Mill. Following Linear Trenching

Koeser,

Grabosky,

Benson

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Root and pavement conflicts can be similarly damaging to the trees involved. The replacement or repair of paved surfaces near trees can sever or injure roots, reducing tree health [11][12][13] and undermining overall stability in the face of storm events [14]. To reduce root and pavement conflicts, researchers have investigated how planting widths relate to sidewalk damage [9,15] and created allometric models to predict trunk flare diameter (TFD; i.e., the diameter of the enlarged area at the base of the tree where the trunk connects to the main structural roots) based on tree species and stem diameter [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Tripping Point–Minimum Planting Widths for Small-Stature Trees in Dense Urban Developments

et al. 2022

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As urban development increases in density, the space to grow urban trees becomes more constrained. In heavily developed areas, small stature trees can be planted to reduce both above- and below-ground conflicts with infrastructure elements. However, even these species can interfere with pavement when placed in extremely confining conditions. In this study, we build on past work to determine the minimum planting space widths of small stature urban trees. Species, stem diameter, and the height at which stem diameter measurements occurred were all strong predictors of trunk flare (i.e., the interface region between large structural roots and the trunk) diameter (adjusted R2 of 0.843). Additionally, we modelled the relationship between planting space and the presence or absence of pavement conflicts using the predictions derived from this effort to project the potential cost savings in two United States cities. Study results provide a guideline to create sufficient space for urban trees and minimize infrastructure damage and associated cost savings.

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“…Root and hardscape conflicts can be similarly damaging to the trees involved. The replacement or repair of paved surfaces near trees can sever or injure roots -reducing tree health (Benson et al, 2019;Hauer et al, 2020;Koeser et al, 2013) and undermining overall stability in the face of storm events (Johnson et al, 2019). To reduce root and hardscape conflicts, researchers have investigated how planting widths relate to sidewalk damage (Francis et al, 1996;Randrup et al, 2003) and created allometric models to predict trunk flare (i.e., the enlarged area at the base of the tree where the trunk connects to the main structural roots) diameter based on tree species and stem diameter (Hilbert et al, 2020;North et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Tripping Point – Minimum Planting Widths for Small-Stature Trees in Dense Urban Developments

Koeser¹,

Hauer²,

Hilbert³

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As urban development increases in density, the space to grow urban trees becomes more constrained. In heavily developed areas, small stature trees can be planted to reduce both above- and below-ground conflicts with infrastructure elements. However, even these species have their limits when placed in extremely confining conditions. In this study, we build on past work to determine the minimum planting widths of small stature urban trees. We found that species, stem diameter, and the height at which stem diameter measurements occurred were all strong predictors of trunk flare diameter (adjusted R2 of 0.843). Additionally, we modelled the relationship between planting space and the presence or absence of hardscape conflicts – using the predictions derived from this effort to project the potential cost savings in two United States cities. Study results provide a guideline to create sufficient space for urban trees and minimize infrastructure damage and associated cost savings.

show abstract

Responses of mature roadside trees to root severance treatments

Cited by 9 publications

References 40 publications

Root Regrowth and Discoloration in <em>Quercus virginiana</em> Mill. Following Linear Trenching

Root Regrowth and Discoloration in <em>Quercus virginiana</em> Mill. Following Linear Trenching

The Tripping Point–Minimum Planting Widths for Small-Stature Trees in Dense Urban Developments

The Tripping Point – Minimum Planting Widths for Small-Stature Trees in Dense Urban Developments

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