Observation of Wind-Loading Influences in Nonconcentric Radial Root Growth in Two Maple Species

Abstract

In 2010 and 2016, Acer saccharinum and Acer rubrum roots were harvested and processed into transverse serial sections to observe crosssectional radial growth patterning in response to wind. Trees on the edge of a plantation and from interior positions were selected, and windward/leeward roots were targeted for a comparative assessment. While some observations were suggestive of a response to wind exposure, they were not definitive. Particularly in the windward versus leeward comparison within either edge or interior ground in terms of root size or radial growth pattern, there were no differences observed. In general, the loss of observed upward radial growth bias very closely coincided with the ending of the Zone of Rapid Taper in the architecture of the root plate.