I think we have all been a little surprised by the weather for the last 8 months. We haven’t gotten a break from the rain, which is frustrating, but what does that mean for our trees and their roots? Let’s take a closer look.
Can trees fall over from soft, wet soil?
Possibly!
Wet, saturated ground creates a wealth of issues, but the most immediate one is a weakened base for our trees. A tree’s roots serve many different purposes, one of the most important ones is to stabilize it. A strong root base protects the tree from falling during heavy winds, and large snow events, as well as allowing the tree to grow a strong, healthy canopy that can absorb light and nutrients.
The soft ground no longer acts as a stable anchor for the root system. Extensive rain combined with heavy winds is a recipe for uprooting. Other factors may play into this as well, such as root rot, but if the ground is soft enough, perfectly healthy trees can be at risk.
Can trees drown?
YES.
Roots are complicated. They perform many functions for a tree, including breathing. The canopy can respirate as well, but the root system takes up nutrients and oxygen from the soil. A basic soil matrix for a healthy tree would be approximately 50% solids, 25% water, and 25% air space.
When the ground remains saturated for days or even weeks at a time, trees can start to suffocate. Air space below 10% can affect the growth of a tree, therefor if the soil is 50% solids and 50% water, there is no air for the tree to breath, thus it begins to drown.
Trees deprived of oxygen commonly show signs of leaf thinning, leaf yellowing, smaller leaf size, canopy die back, and water sprouts along the trunk and lower limbs. Sometimes trees recover quickly, within a year or so, but typically is takes several season for them to recover fully. Weaker trees my continue to decline of the next few seasons until they eventually die.
Is there anything we can do to help the trees?
Yes.
Abnormal seasons are what help reduce tree population and promote growth in the coming years. Trees that don’t survive stressful seasons were not likely to survive regardless. Helping maintain your trees by removing deadwood and not obstructing their root systems will insure that your trees are as healthy as they can be. The rest depends on the weather and growing seasons.