Impact of Landscape Tree Stabilization System and Nursery Production Method on Anchorage and Growth    (View PDF)

Edward F. Gilman, Chris Harchick, and Maria Paz

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate growth and anchorage one year after landscape planting of red maple (Acer rubrum L. ‘Florida Flame’) from both a field and container nursery that were stabilized with above- or belowground systems. Trunk diameter increased more for trees planted from containers with soilless substrate (17 mm) than trees with a soil root ball from a field nursery (14 mm); however, there was no impact of nursery production method on tree height. Trees secured with a guying system grew less in trunk diameter than trees secured with a belowground system, with a tall wood stake system, or the non-staked control. Guyed trees were taller than trees secured with a root-ball stabilization system. More bending stress was required to winch trees transplanted from the field nursery than trees from containers immediately after releasing stakes one year after planting. There was no difference among stabilization systems in bending stress to winch to any trunk tilt angle, indicating similar anchorage across systems. Moreover, trees stabilized for one year required the same bending stress to winch as controls, indicating that stabilizing trees for one year with any of the systems tested did not reduce anchorage compared to non-stabilized trees.

Keywords: Acer rubrum; Lateral Stability; Nursery Production; Planting; Red Maple; Root Cross-Sectional Area; Staking; Transplanting; Trunk Tilt; Winching.

https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2016.023