Transpiration and Root Development of Urban Trees in Structural Soil Stormwater Reservoirs |
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Authors: | Julia Bartens Susan D Day J Roger Harris Theresa M Wynn Joseph E Dove |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Horticulture, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;(2) Department of Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, 228 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;(3) Present address: Department of Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, 228 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;(4) Department of Biological & Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;(5) Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA |
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Abstract: | Stormwater management that relies on ecosystem processes, such as tree canopy interception and rhizosphere biology, can be
difficult to achieve in built environments because urban land is costly and urban soil inhospitable to vegetation. Yet such
systems offer a potentially valuable tool for achieving both sustainable urban forests and stormwater management. We evaluated
tree water uptake and root distribution in a novel stormwater mitigation facility that integrates trees directly into detention
reservoirs under pavement. The system relies on structural soils: highly porous engineered mixes designed to support tree
root growth and pavement. To evaluate tree performance under the peculiar conditions of such a stormwater detention reservoir (i.e., periodically
inundated), we grew green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) and swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor Willd.) in either CUSoil or a Carolina Stalite-based mix subjected to three simulated below-system infiltration rates for
two growing seasons. Infiltration rate affected both transpiration and rooting depth. In a factorial experiment with ash,
rooting depth always increased with infiltration rate for Stalite, but this relation was less consistent for CUSoil. Slow-drainage
rates reduced transpiration and restricted rooting depth for both species and soils, and trunk growth was restricted for oak,
which grew the most in moderate infiltration. Transpiration rates under slow infiltration were 55% (oak) and 70% (ash) of
the most rapidly transpiring treatment (moderate for oak and rapid for ash). We conclude this system is feasible and provides
another tool to address runoff that integrates the function of urban green spaces with other urban needs. |
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