Soil| Volume| Area| Shape| Mature Trees

Eric Frei · 18th February 2010, 01:33 PM

Ever wondered how much soil is required for a mature tree?

How big will it grow in it's location?

Will it be restricted or dwarfed?

What happens when a large species has insufficient soil space?

Does soil depth really matter?

Can I substitute horizontal area for more depth and get the desired same result as the volume of soil is the same?

If you have been asking questions like these then perhaps you can not only gain some information here but add some.

There's some PDF's attached to this post, but I'm sure there's more.

From the second PDF:- By the way 1 ft³ = 0.028316 m³

Quote:

Published research suggests that trees need 1 to 2 cubic feet of soil volume for every square foot of crown area spread. A tree in a typical 4-foot by 10-foot street tree space has 120 cubic feet of available soil. When the roots cannot grow out of the box, the tree is expected to grow to a canopy spread of 10 feet before declining, as illustrated below. Tree spaces with 500 cubic feet of soil will enable trees to grow a canopy of more than 20 feet, and even larger soil volumes will yield larger trees.

Tree roots grow far beyond the tree canopy when given the space to grow

A growing tree will send roots far into the surrounding
soil. In uncompacted soil, the roots of a mature tree
can spread to more than twice the width of the tree’s
canopy. Trees get nutrients from soil, but roots also
need the air and water that occupy voids between
soil particles. In uncompacted soil, these voids are
abundant.

treeshaveneeds · 10th June 2010, 12:18 PM

Great info Ekka. Can I ask for the source?

I generally tell my clients that as a rough rule of thumb the roots spread out about 3 feet in radius per inch diameter of trunk. Seems to me that was a conclusion in an Arborist magazine several years ago - probably clay soil. I have seldom found roots out that far, but the idea is more to give client's pause for an addition, renovation, extensive landscaping etc especially if they cherish the tree,

Eric Frei · 10th June 2010, 10:37 PM

Click the attached PDF's .... it's all there.

Also add some if you know some, I just add stuff as I come across it or use it etc. I think, "well if I needed this or found it interesting some-one else might too".

10th June 2010, 12:18 PM	#2
treeshaveneeds Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,396	Re: Soil\| Volume\| Area\| Shape\| Mature Trees Great info Ekka. Can I ask for the source? I generally tell my clients that as a rough rule of thumb the roots spread out about 3 feet in radius per inch diameter of trunk. Seems to me that was a conclusion in an Arborist magazine several years ago - probably clay soil. I have seldom found roots out that far, but the idea is more to give client's pause for an addition, renovation, extensive landscaping etc especially if they cherish the tree,

10th June 2010, 10:37 PM	#3
Eric Frei Admin - Razor sharp and independent 2 X Diploma Level 5 qualified arborist Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,792	Re: Soil\| Volume\| Area\| Shape\| Mature Trees Click the attached PDF's .... it's all there. Also add some if you know some, I just add stuff as I come across it or use it etc. I think, "well if I needed this or found it interesting some-one else might too". __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

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