Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Ahead of Print
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • All Issues
  • Contribute
    • Submit to AUF
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
  • About
    • Overview
    • Editorial Board
    • Journal Metrics
    • International Society of Arboriculture
  • More
    • Contact
    • Feedback
  • Alerts

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Ahead of Print
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • All Issues
  • Contribute
    • Submit to AUF
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
  • About
    • Overview
    • Editorial Board
    • Journal Metrics
    • International Society of Arboriculture
  • More
    • Contact
    • Feedback
  • Alerts
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
Research ArticleArticles

Abstract

Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) November 1986, 12 (11) 283; DOI: https://doi.org/10.48044/joa.1986.12.11.283
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

FEUCHT, J.R. 1986. Wire baskets can be slow killers of trees. Am. Nurseryman 163(6):156-159.

Few argue with the fact that wire wrapped around the trunk of a tree will eventually strangle it. Yet wire that wholly or partially restricts roots does not seem to concern many landscape architects, landscape contractors and nurserymen. Indeed, planting specifications often require that the wire mesh be left on. The reasoning behind this seems sound; it is thought that the wire will soon break down, and the large mesh of modern tree baskets won't interfere with growth. Unfortunately, human logic and actual results are two different things. Wire mesh buried in soil for more than 15 years has been found to remain strong enough to cause root restriction, even thought it is corroded. In heavy clay soils that are low in oxygen, wire may not show the slightest corrosion even after years of burial. Wire in better aerated soils, such as sandy loams, will corrode, but it will remain a barrier to root expansion for a decade or more. As a root enlarges, it does not pull away from a wire, nor does it push the wire out of the way. It will enclose the wire the same way a limb or trunk will enclose a barbed wire fence that has been nailed to it. Once the root tissue grows over the wire and the edges meet on the other side, union of the tissues cannot occur because there is no cambial contact. Thus the vascular system of such roots becomes partially restricted. While partial restriction may not seem to be a problem in small roots, the real injury occurs when the surface scaffold or main brace roots (the root flare) become restricted. Avoiding the problem of partial root restriction is easy. Angle-bladed bolt cutters should be used to remove the wire completely from the top 10 to 1 2 inches of the ball. The cutting is best done after the tree is placed in the planting pit and partial backfilling has stabilized the ball.

  • Copyright © 1986, International Society of Arboriculture. All rights reserved.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF)
Vol. 12, Issue 11
November 1986
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
Print
Download PDF
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Arboriculture & Urban Forestry.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Abstract
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Arboriculture & Urban Forestry
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Arboriculture & Urban Forestry web site.
Citation Tools
Abstract
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) Nov 1986, 12 (11) 283; DOI: 10.48044/joa.1986.12.11.283

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Abstract
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) Nov 1986, 12 (11) 283; DOI: 10.48044/joa.1986.12.11.283
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Hardscape of Soil Surface Surrounding Urban Trees Alters Stem Carbon Dioxide Efflux
  • Literature Review of Unmanned Aerial Systems and LIDAR with Application to Distribution Utility Vegetation Management
  • Borrowed Credentials and Surrogate Professional Societies: A Critical Analysis of the Urban Forestry Profession
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

© 2023 International Society of Arboriculture

Powered by HighWire