Comparison of bioengineering characteristics of native and non-native tree species

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 MSc.Of Forest Engineering, Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University

3 PhD Candidate, Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University

Abstract

Background and objectives: The roots of the plants are used as a kind of materials in the slopes preservation and resistance. Because in addition to helping to preserving and resisting the environment, it has recovery ability and has no harmful and negative effects on the environment and has no additional costs too. Plant cover is caused for pastiness between soil particles for having root system and has significant impact in slope stabilization, for this reason, the biological characteristics of different species has great importance. The quantity of reinforcement depends on root biotechnical characteristics such as root density and tensile strength. In this study assessed these biotechnical properties.
Materials and methods: In this study, two non-native afforested stands of pine (Pinus Sylvesteres) and acacia (Robinia Peseudo acasia) and two natural stands with native species of hornbeam (Carpinus Betulus) and summer alder (Alnus Subcordata) with similar habitat conditions (altitude,Slope and direction of slope, soil type, geology, etc) in the forest of Neka city (Neka-Zalmarud forestry plan) was and Six trees of each species were randomly selected for later analysis. The Root Area Ratio and tensile strength were investigated. Profile trenching method was used to analyze and compare their root distribution. The walls of the profile are divided into 10 cm horizons. Number and diameter of protruded roots in each depth were measured. Finally, the percentage of Root Area Ratio in each horizon was calculated. Standard Santam was used to determine the tensile strength of roots. Root samples were collected at the bottom (30% slope) of trees.
Results: The results indicated that the Root Area Ratio were decreased with increasing depth According to the exponential function . The Root area ratio in non-native species is higher than native species. Which has obtained for Carpinus Betulus, Alnus Subcordata, Robinia Peseudo acasia and Pinus Sylvesteres, 0.033±0.002, 0.081±0.002, 0.026±0.018±0.177±0.015 percent respectively. The diameter range of the tested roots was 2-9 mm. The results of tensile strength tests showed that with increasing diameter, the amount of tensile strength according to the According to the exponential function decreased. There is a positive power relationship between root diameter and tensile force.
Conclusion: In this research tensile strength of native species is more than non-native one that has obtained for Carpinus Betulus, Alnus Subcordata, Robinia Peseudo acasia and Pinus Sylvesteres, 31.93±10.3, 17.57±6.98, 18.4±2.41, 9.77±5.46 Mpa respectively. The results of this work may help us when applying an efficient bioengineering technique

Keywords


1.Abdi, E., Majnounian, B., Genet, M., and Rahimi, H. 2010. Quantifying the effects of root reinforcement of Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica) on slope stability:a case study: hillslope of Hyrcanian forests, northern Iran. Ecological Engineering. 36: 10. 1409-1416.
2.Abdi, E., Majnounian, B., Rahimi, H., Zobeiri, M., and Habibi Bibalani, Gh. 2011. Intraspecies variations of tree root tensile strength as eco-engineering materials in local scale (Case study: Kheyrud Forest). J. of Natural Environment, Iranian J. of Natural Resources. 64: 2. 137-144. (In Persian)
3.Abdi, E., and Majnounian, B. 2018. Forest road maintenance. University of Tehran Press Inc, 327p. (In Persian)
4.Abdi, E. 2014. Effect of oriental beech root reinforcement on slope stability (Hyrcanian Forest, Iran). J. of Forest Science. 60: 4. 166-173.
5.Abernethy, B., and Rutherford, I.D. 2001. The distribution and strength of riparian tree roots in relation to riverbank reinforcement. Hydrological Processes. 15: 63-79.
6.Bischetti, G.B., Chiaradia, E.A., Simonato, T., Spezialia, B., Vitali, B., Vullo, P., and Zocco, A. 2005. Root strength and root area ratio of forest species in Lombardy (Northern Italy). Plant and soil. 278: 11-22.
7.Bischetti, G.B., Chiaradia, E.A., Epis, T., and Morlotti, E. 2009. Root cohesion of forest species in the Italian Alps. Plant and Soil. 324: 1-2. 71-89.
8.Bohm, W. 1979. Methods of studying root systems. In: ecological studies. Springer, Berlin, Germany, 188p.
9.Boldrin, D., Leung, A.K., and Bengough, A.G. 2017. Root biomechanical properties during the establishment of woody perennials. Ecological Engineering. 109: 196-206.
10.Burke, M.K., and Raynal, D.J. 1994. Fine root growth phenology, production, and turnover in a northern hardwood forest ecosystem. Plant and Soil.162: 135-146.
11.Cofie, P., and Koolen, A.J. 2001. Test speed and other factors affecting the measurements of tree root properties used in soil reinforcement models. Soil and Tillage Research. 63: 51-56.
12.Cole, D., and Landres, P.B. 1996. Threats to wilderness ecosystems: impacts and research needs. Ecological Applications. 6: 168-184.
13.Comino, E., and Marengo, P. 2010.Root tensile strength of three shrub species: Rosa canina, Cotoneaster dammeri, and Juniperus horizontalis. Soil reinforcement estimation by laboratory tests. Catena. 82: 227-235.
14.De Baets, S., Poeson, Reubens, J., Reubens, B., Wemans, K., De Baerdemaeker, J., and Muys, B. 2008. Root tensile strength and root distribution of typical Mediterranean plant species and their contribution to soil shear strength. Plant and Soil.305: 8. 207-226.
15.Deljouei, A., Abdi, E., Majnounian, B., and Schwarz, M. 2018. Comparing roots mechanical characteristics of hornbeam trees in different diameter at breast height classes. Forest and Wood Products. 71: 3. 199-207. (In Persian)
16.Deljouei, A., Abdi, E., Majnounian, B., and Schwarz, M. 2019. Roots spatial distribution of Carpinus betulus in lowland Hyrcanian forests (Kheyrud forest, Nowshahr). J. of Forest Research and Development. 4: 4. 477-488.(In Persian)
17.Deljouei, A., Abdi, E., Schwarz, M., Majnounian, B., Sohrabi, H., and Dumroese, R.K. 2020. Mechanical characteristics of the fine roots of two broadleaved tree species from the temperate Caspian Hyrcanian ecoregion. Forests. 345: 11. 2-19.
18.Esmaiili, M., Abdi, E., Jafary, M., and Majnounian, B. 2017. Comparison of biotechnical characteristics of root in two forest plantations of Fraxinus excelsior and Picea abies, J. of Forest Research and Development. 3: 3. 237-247.
(In Persian)
19.Leung, T., Yan, W., Hau, B., and Tham, L. 2015. Root systems of native shrubs and trees in Hong Kong and their effects on enhancing slope stability. CATENA. 125: 102-110.
20.Genet, M., Stokes, A., Slain, F., Mickovski, S., Forced, T., Domain, J.F., and Van Beek, R. 2005. The influence of cellulose content on tensile strength in tree roots. Plant and Soil. 258: 1-9.
21.Genet, M., Kokutse, N., Stokes, A., Fourcaud, T., Cain, X., Ji, J., and Mickovski, S. 2008. Root reinforcement in plantations of Cryptomeria japonica. Forest Ecology and Management.256: 1517-1526.
22.Gray, D.H., and Sotir, R.B. 1996. Biotechnical and soil bioengineering slope stabilization: A practical guide for erosion control. John Wiley, Chichester, 400p.
23.Ji, J., Kokutse, N., Genet, M., Fourcaud, T., and Zhang, Z. 2012. Effects of spatial variation of tree root characteristics on slope stability. A case study on black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis), stands on the Loess Plateau, China. Catena.92: 139-154.
24.Keybondori, S., Majnounian, B., Abdi, E., Yousefzadeh, H., and Deljouei, A. 2018. Assessing spatial changes of roots tensile strength of Salix purpurea L. in the riparian zone of Karun (Case study: Susan plain in Khuzestan province). Iranian J. of Forest and Poplar Research. 26: 1. 70-80. (In Persian)
25.Majnounian, B., Abdi, E., Foshat, M., and Sufi Mariv, H. 2014. Determination of biomechanical properties of Tabrizi species for use in soil biomechanics. J. of Forest and Wood Products (Iranian J. of Natural Resources). 67: 1. 13-19.
(In Persian)
26.Maleki, S., Naghdi, R., Abdi, E., and Nikooy, M. 2014. Investigating the amount of reinforcement of Alnussubcordata root in order to use in bioengineering. Iranian J. of Forest.6: 1. 49-58. (In Persian)
27.Meyer, F.H., and ttsche, D.G. 1971. Distribution of root tips and tender roots of beech. In Ecological Studies, Analysis and Synthesis. Eds. H Ellenberg. 2: 47-52.
28.Nilaweera, N.S., and Nutalaya, P. 1999. Role of tree roots in slope stabilization. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment. 57: 337-342.
29.Norris, J. 2005. Root reinforcement by hawthorn and oak roots on a highway cut-slope in Southern England. Plant and Soil. 278: 43-53.
30.Pollen-Bankhead, N., Simon, A., and Thomas, R.E. 2013. The reinforcement of soil by roots: recent advances
and directions for future research. Ecogeomorphology. 12: 107-12426.
31.Pourmalekshah, A.A.M.A., Moayeri, M.H., and Parsakhoo, A. 2019. Effect of the root biotechnical characteristics of Alnus subcordata, Paulownia fortunei and Populus deltoids on the soil mechanics. J. of Forest Science.65: 7. 283-290.
32.Preti, F., and Giadrossich, F. 2009.Root reinforcement and slope bioengineering stabilization by Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum L.). Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 13: 9. 1713-1726.
33.Schmidt, K.M., Roering, J.J., Stock, J.D., Dietrich, W.E., Montgomery, D.R., and Schaub, T. 2001. The variability of root cohesion as an influence on shallow susceptibility in the Oregon Coast Range. Canadian Geotechnical J.
38: 995-1024.
34.Simon, A., and Collison, A.J.C. 2002. Quantifying the mechanical and hydrologic effects of riparian vegetation on streambank stability. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 27: 527-546.
35.Stokes, A., and Mattheck, C. 1996. Variation of wood strength in tree roots. J. of Experimental Botany. 47: 5. 693-699.
36.Sun, H.L., Li, S.C., Xiong, W.L., Yang, Z.R., Cui, B.S., and Yang, T. 2008. Influence of slope on root system anchorage of Pinus yunnanensis. Ecological Engineering. 32: 60-67.
37.Wang, X., Hong, M.M., Huang, Z., Zhao, Y.F., Ou, Y.S., Jia, H.X., and Li, J. 2019. Biomechanical properties of plant root systems and their ability to stabilize slopes in geohazard-prone regions. Soil and Tillage Research.189: 148-157.
38.Ye, C., Guo, Z., Li, Z., and Cai, C. 2017. The effect of Bahiagrass roots on soil erosion resistance of Aquults in subtropical China. Geomorphology. 285: 82-93.