We've all seen them - victims of urban soil. Trees placed in cut, filled, mixed, contaminated and compacted soils, expected to live and thrive yet struggling merely to survive. What happens to them? More important, is there anything we can do?Roots perform many functions for the tree, including anchoring the tree, absorbing water and nutrients, storing carbohydrates and producing chemicals and hormones. When you think about this, you realize you may have taken them for granted. Arborists' minds often are most concerned with larger diameter, woody roots; however, the real workers for the health of the tree are fine roots. These are the lmm-or-so-in-diameter feeder roots that absorb the majority of water and nu-trients. Not only that, but it is the youngest of these fine roots that are most efficient at this uptake. These are the white, fleshy, fuzzy roots you find digging in soils as they warm in spring.
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