Trees' Roots Graft Together, Keep Stump Alive

[Woodwork]

Interesting article here:

A tree stump that should be dead is still alive; here's why

Within a shrouded New Zealand forest, a tree stump keeps itself alive by holding onto the roots of its neighboring trees, exchanging water and resources through the grafted root system. New research, publishing July 25 in iScience, details how surrounding trees keep tree stumps alive, possibly...

phys.org

Undead Tree Stump Is Being Kept Alive by Neighboring Trees

A tree stump in New Zealand is very much alive, thanks to an interconnected root system that benefits both the stump and its neighboring trees. Scientists

gizmodo.com

about how apparently the roots of adjacent same-species trees can graft together, allowing a stump to be kept alive by the vegetation of its host...in exchange for a larger root system for the host to get water and nutrients.

Probably you guys have heard of this, but it was new to me. It broke my heart this spring that I had to cut down some 4" DBH pecans that were within a few feet of other pecans...I wonder whether those root systems were grafted together...?

A question that arises in my mind is, are these root systems really "grafted together" ... or just sharing the same matrix or network or "extended colony" of mycorrhizae?

 

[ATH]

No doubt it is pretty normal.

What is crazy is that roots from different families have sometimes grafted...

Check out "the hidden life of trees"

 

[CanadianStan]

No doubt it is pretty normal.

What is crazy is that roots from different families have sometimes grafted...

Check out "the hidden life of trees"

And dr Suzanne simards work ... quite a few talks can be found online regarding her research on mycorrhizal, inter species networks

 

[evo]

This is very common in Douglas fir. It's one of the reasons why I highly suggest against stump grinding.. I've also seen it in western red cedar..

 

[southsoundtree]

Evo, what about partial grinding, to get below grade?

 

[evo]

Evo, what about partial grinding, to get below grade?

bigger wound below the flare. less oxygen. And observations shows that if its cut at comfortable stump heigh there is a higher chance of full occlusion.. I got one in my shed, I'll try to remember to post photos of the ripped stump, can still see the hinge/backcut/face cut.

 

[southsoundtree]

Yes, a bigger wound, but would it retain a connection, where the stump "must" be ground for a purpose, if the stump core in left, without any trunk?

 

[benfuest]

This is very common in Douglas fir. It's one of the reasons why I highly suggest against stump grinding.. I've also seen it in western red cedar..

Hi Evo. I did some consultancy work for a Dutch tree care franchise, back in 08 I think. Any way they were researching just this, grafting of Douglas fir roots. They called it Anamastosis. I probably spelt it wrong.

 

[benfuest]

Interesting article here:

A tree stump that should be dead is still alive; here's why

Within a shrouded New Zealand forest, a tree stump keeps itself alive by holding onto the roots of its neighboring trees, exchanging water and resources through the grafted root system. New research, publishing July 25 in iScience, details how surrounding trees keep tree stumps alive, possibly...

phys.org

Undead Tree Stump Is Being Kept Alive by Neighboring Trees

A tree stump in New Zealand is very much alive, thanks to an interconnected root system that benefits both the stump and its neighboring trees. Scientists

gizmodo.com

about how apparently the roots of adjacent same-species trees can graft together, allowing a stump to be kept alive by the vegetation of its host...in exchange for a larger root system for the host to get water and nutrients.

Probably you guys have heard of this, but it was new to me. It broke my heart this spring that I had to cut down some 4" DBH pecans that were within a few feet of other pecans...I wonder whether those root systems were grafted together...?

A question that arises in my mind is, are these root systems really "grafted together" ... or just sharing the same matrix or network or "extended colony" of mycorrhizae?

As I said in reply to Evo, re Anamastosis. If I recall corectly, it was a few years ago. The Dutch research team demonstrated it was root grafting, bought about by an enzime responce.