by Shiamak
While we were thinking of factors that our tree app would use to determine if a tree would fall, one of the factors we thought of were the roots. After some thinking about it, we realized that roots are responsible for holding up the whole tree. They even get nutrients from the soil to keep the tree healthy Trees with deep, strong root systems have a much greater chance of surviving roaring winds in hurricanes than a tree with a weak, shallow or decaying root system. To see if there is root decay, look for mushrooms on or near the tree.
Roots goes hand-in-hand with another factor-species. Certain species of trees have strong roots which go deep into the soil to anchor the tree while others have roots that don’t go very deep. Trees like oaks have very strong root systems. Other trees, such as the Hibiscus tree have a weak root system and are vulnerable to falling from strong winds. So , as you see, roots are a very important factor in predicting if a tree will fall.
The tricky thing with roots however is to determine if they are healthy or not. Since they are under the ground it is hard to see if they are really giving strong support to the tree. In our research we could not find a reliable and simple way to estimate the health of the root system, other than looking for the soil quality, root decay, mushrooms etc or any obvious visible damage.
Reference - Identifying Tree Hazards (Alabama University Extension)
Roots goes hand-in-hand with another factor-species. Certain species of trees have strong roots which go deep into the soil to anchor the tree while others have roots that don’t go very deep. Trees like oaks have very strong root systems. Other trees, such as the Hibiscus tree have a weak root system and are vulnerable to falling from strong winds. So , as you see, roots are a very important factor in predicting if a tree will fall.
The tricky thing with roots however is to determine if they are healthy or not. Since they are under the ground it is hard to see if they are really giving strong support to the tree. In our research we could not find a reliable and simple way to estimate the health of the root system, other than looking for the soil quality, root decay, mushrooms etc or any obvious visible damage.
Reference - Identifying Tree Hazards (Alabama University Extension)