We don’t often think about the roots of trees until there is a problem. A forester friend of mine called it a “fencepost mentality.” Being underground, they are often out of sight out of mind. However ...

We don’t often think about the roots of trees until there is a problem. A forester friend of mine called it a “fencepost mentality.” Being underground, they are often out of sight out of mind. However ...

Ask someone to draw a tree and they will invariably draw a trunk and branches—leaving the roots out of the picture. In a unique study of tropical tree roots at the Smithsonian Tropical Research ...

As an introduction to the subject of roots, I cannot help but borrow words from “The Little Prince,” that famous children’s book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. “What is essential,” says the little ...

Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. Tree root systems are seldom on the minds of forest owners, tree planters, ...