Root Extraction Force Measurements for Sitka Spruce

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Abstract
Extraction force and displacement were measured on roots pulled horizontally from the sides of a pit made in the soil after removal of the tree and the bulk of its root system. Measurements were made on a brown earth and a deep peat, in 24- and 27- year-old crops respectively. The brown earth soil was drier and more deeply rooted than the peat, but the root diameter at the pulled end, the length of root extracted and the root displacement at maximum extraction force were each similar on both soils. Extraction force was related to the root cross-sectional area at the pulled end and regressions showed that roots required significantly more force for extraction on the peat than on the brown earth. However, the difference was small, and any differences in tree stability between the two sites would have to be explained by other features of the anchorage. Data are also presented on effects of root morphology and depth on extraction force.

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