Abstract
An increase in extreme weather events is predicted with increasing climate changes. Changes indicate major problems in the future, as Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) is one of the most important forestry species in Northern Europe and one of the most susceptible to damage from extreme weather events, like windstorms. Root architecture is essential for tree anchorage. However, information of structural root-plate volume and characteristics in relation to tree wind resistance in drained deep peat soils is lacking. Individual tree susceptibility to wind damage is dependent on tree species, soil properties, tree health and root-plate volume. We assessed the structural root-plate dimensions of wind-thrown Norway spruce on freely drained mineral and drained deep peat soils at four trial sites in Latvia, and root-plate measurements were made on 65 recently tipped-up trees and 36 trees from tree-pulling tests on similar soils. Tree height, diameter at breast height, root-plate width and depth were measured. Measurements of structural root-plate width were done in five directions covering 180° of the root-plate; rooting depth was measured on the horizontal and vertical axes of root-plate. Root-plate volume was higher in drained peat soils in comparison to mineral soils, and root-plate width was the main driver of root-plate volume. A decreasing trend was observed in structural root depth distribution with increasing distance from the stem (i.e., from the center to the edge of the root plate) with a greater decrease in mineral soils.
Highlights
Climate change scenarios predict an increase in extreme weather events [1]
Our results indicate the importance of diameter at breast height (DBH) in determining root-plate volume (Figure 3) and potentially in increasing tree wind resistance to uprooting from wind disturbances
The maximum depth values differed between soil types, with drained peat soils having higher maximum depth values than mineral soils
Summary
Climate change scenarios predict an increase in extreme weather events (windstorm frequency and intensity) [1]. Increasing frequency of storms causes loss of economic and ecological value in European forests [2] Another effect of climate change is warming of the winter season, which causes long periods of unfrozen, wet soil [3], when tree anchorage is the weakest and wind damage probability is higher. Measured tree anchorage properties can help predict the response of trees to more severe climate change induced storms. Trees deploy their roots in response to mechanical forces (slope and/or prevailing wind) by devoting increased root resources downslope and toward the windward direction to improve stability [4]. The formation of tree roots depends mainly on the soil conditions because roots continuously adapt to the temporal and spatial fluctuations in their growth [8]
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