Girdled roots

[Paul Barton]

Thanks for sharing that David - great diary of the job.

[David Humphries]

Thanks for sharing that David - great diary of the job.

 

Cheers Paul,

 

it was an educational experience in more ways than one.

 

we as a team learnt a fair bit in the process, but on top of that an impromptu meeting with a group of 5 year old school kids doubled up the exercise as biology lesson. After an engrossing 10 minutes, off they toddled with a better understanding of trees and their biomechanics

 

Ever undertaken any significant girdled root prunning yourself?

 

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[sloth]

That looks very interesting, and a good result with the kids as well; they are the future after all!

I wonder, the girdling root is clearly affecting stem growth/vascular function, but would it have grafted to the stem in time. And further nourished the stem allowing it to continue with good biological function and incremental growth. Also there would then be no wounds, for example, for armillaria to exploit; where the resources in that area of trunk are currently lacking.

Perhaps some scoring in the 'root:stem interface groove' (good term hey? You heard it here first!) where the root runs along the stem would encourage wound wood, with more meristematic tissues. Therefore more likely to graft, maybe? Perhaps done along half the length of the rsig one year, and the other half when/if grafting occurs.

I'm not for a moment suggesting you did wrong, just putting late night ponderings out into the cyberspace ether...

[treeseer]

I wonder, the girdling root is clearly affecting stem growth/vascular function, but would it have grafted to the stem in time. "

 

this is species-specific; beech being in the middle somewhere. overall best to remove before grafting.

 

"And further nourished the stem allowing it to continue with good biological function and incremental growth. Also there would then be no wounds, for example, for armillaria to exploit; where the resources in that area of trunk are currently lacking.

 

these wounds tend to close fast.

 

"Perhaps some scoring in the 'root:stem interface groove' (good term hey? You heard it here first!) where the root runs along the stem would encourage wound wood, with more meristematic tissues.

 

where the root has been removed, this "scarification" aka removal of bark compacted by girdling root can allow cambial/phloem expansion, can achieve the purpose.

 

"Therefore more likely to graft, maybe? Perhaps done along half the length of the rsig one year, and the other half when/if grafting occurs.

 

where the root is beginning to graft, yes this may speed grafting; have a few experiments like this in the field aka my back yard.

 

David, this is common practice over here; looks well done there but could have gone after a few with the chisel a bit harder, though the results of that are not pretty, and good to be cautious about breaking grafts. attached is an early stab at howto; supeerior minds reviewed it, fwiw.

Nice job on your part, starting at the top and working your way down.

LBG III Managing Stem-Girdling Roots1.doc.pdf

[David Humphries]

David, this is common practice over here; looks well done there but could have gone after a few with the chisel a bit harder, though the results of that are not pretty, and good to be cautious about breaking grafts. attached is an early stab at howto; supeerior minds reviewed it, fwiw.

Nice job on your part, starting at the top and working your way down.

 

 

Thanks Guy,

 

I had looked around for resource but had only picked up on a 2 page brief from Bruce Fraedrich. Was hoping to read some more. So appreciate the pdf and your experience.

 

Interesting regarding timing of carrying out root prunning.

Where you state 'midsummer' this ties in nicely with something I heard yesterday on a seminar on phenology.

Roots having two peaks of growth through a year - spring & autumn.

 

 

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[James]

A very interesting thread indeed, thanks David.

[David Humphries]

I'm struggling to see where there is any specific information within our BS 3998:2010 on prunning 'girdling roots'

 

Clause 6 'Management of the rooting environment' doesn't make mention of it as a practice.

 

A small reference within Clause 8 'Treatment of wounds and other injuries'

8.6 'root injuries' "exposed damaged roots or those that have to be pruned should be cut so that the final wound is as small as possible and free from ragged torn ends"

 

Guess another instance where we need to be working with external standards to keep moving us forward.

 

Becoming far more aware of this as an issue that really should be getting appropriate remedial attention.

 

 

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[David Humphries]

Early stage of possibly a neighbouring trees roots or its own, would have been fascinating to have airspaded these back.

 

 

 

 

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[treeseer]

David, I did not knwo that dr. bruce ever wrote anything on sgr's; could you link that? here's the earlier verison of mine, written for arbos. and a nice piece by costello et al on adv roots.

 

yes all the sgr's in your pics are nobrainers to prune. Nature might take care of it in a "survival of the fittest" kind of way when the swelling buttress breaks them, but she is not 100% effective at this, and it seem sonly fair to give her some help.

 

re external standards, i tried to get sgr pruning into the us pruning standard, but the decision was made to write a separate standard for root mgt. here's a taste of what will go out for a 2nd public review; NOT official:

 

84.3 Selective root pruning

 

84.3.1 The size and location of roots to be pruned shall be specified.

 

84.3.2 Roots should be exposed using the least injurious excavation method prior to pruning.

 

84.3.3 A pruning cut that removes a root at its point of origin should not cut into the trunk or parent root.

 

84.3.4 Smaller pruning cuts shall be preferred.

 

84.3.5 The final cut should result in a flat surface with adjacent bark firmly attached.

 

84.4 Selective root pruning – girdling roots

 

84.4.1 Roots that encircle or girdle the trunk or a buttress root should be considered for redirecting or pruning.

 

84.4.2 Girdling roots should be EXPOSED before pruning cuts are planned or made.

 

84.4.3 Retention shall be considered for roots contacting the trunk that provide more benefit than damage.

 

84.4.4 Roots that cross other roots should be retained.

 

84.4.5 The trunk and buttress roots shall not be damaged beyond the scope of the work

 

84.4.6 If more than one large girdling root is present, root pruning over a time period should be considered.

 

84.4.7 Root pruning tools shall include, but are not limited to: hand saws, lopping shears, chisels, hand shears, chain saws, reciprocating saws or circular saws.

 

Annex D-1 – Managing trunks, flares, and roots affected by fill: Sample specifications for RCX (root collar examination) with hand tools (This annex will not be considered part of the ANSI A300 Part 8 standard.)

 

 

Scope: Trees with fill contacting the trunk.

 

Objective: Mitigate tree damage from the effects of fill on the trunk.

 

Specifications:

 

1. Rake any coarse woody debris or fresh mulch away from the root collar area.

Select tools to avoid root and trunk damage.

2. If a shovel or trowel is used, press the blade against the trunk. Slide it carefully downward until resistance is met.

3. Push the handle toward the trunk, moving the blade away from the trunk.

4. Remove individual adventitious roots and stem-girdling roots as needed. Manage larger roots per ANSI A300 (Part 8), 83.4 and 84.4. Avoid contact between the trunk and any remaining adventitious, girdling, and circling roots.

5. Lift the material away from the trunk and place it in a temporary staging area.

6. Repeat until trunk and flare are clear, out to the root collar, where buttress roots divide. Use smaller hand tools, vacuum, or compressed water or air, to complete the excavation.

7. Separate and dispose of any infertile soil and debris. Retain the fertile soil, fine roots, mycorrhizae, and decomposed mulch.

8. Commence the RCX (root collar examination).

9. Consider replanting the tree, if the flare is over 2” (5 cm) below grade.

10. Remove soil and fine roots outside of the root collar to make a gradual slope.

11. Consider installing a device to control erosion.

12. Apply 2-4” (5-10 cm) of mulch over the root collar. Avoid mulch contact with the flare.

13. Remove the fine roots, fertile soil, mycorrhizae and decomposed mulch from the staging area. Incorporate the material into the outer rootzone.

14. Specify that future management will keep the flare visible.

Root Pruning TCI.pdf

sgr watson 1990.pdf

adventitious roots costello.pdf

[sean freeman]

Some shots of two failures in Ficus benjamina following (or rather during) some wild winds last week. SGR's are evident though I feel there is a lot more going on than just the girdling and its structural and biological impacts...not least of course the dynamics of freakish wind loading.....

 

First five pics are of one tree...the next five of the second, plus a reference shot of adjacent fig tree stem/root crown to show the root architecture.