Tree Uprooting Dynamics in Forest Ecosystems

Tree uprooting is a fundamental disturbance process in forest ecosystems, resulting from the mechanical failure of root systems under the influence of wind, soil saturation, pathogens or decay. When a tree is uprooted, its root plate and the attached soil are lifted, creating a characteristic pit–mound microtopography. This process alters local hydrology, accelerates soil aeration and organic matter mixing, and generates heterogeneous habitats for regeneration and soil biota. Uprooting also contributes to long-term carbon and nutrient cycling by exposing subsoil layers and redistributing soil material across the forest floor. Recent advances in biomechanics have quantified anchorage forces and soil strength, while ecological studies have documented changes in microclimate, seedling establishment and species succession on pit and mound microsites. At a landscape scale, patterns of uprooting influence pedodiversity, the spatial variability of soil properties, and may buffer or amplify the effects of other disturbances. Remote sensing techniques and ecohydrological models now permit the mapping and prediction of uprooting impacts under scenarios of increasing storm intensity and changing precipitation regimes worldwide.

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Automated detection of uprooted root plates using LiDAR point clouds has enabled the rapid mapping of pit–mound features in temperate spruce stands. Custom algorithms applied to high-density LiDAR data achieved detection rates of 70–79 %, and estimated root-plate volumes of 2.2–3.35 m3. These methods allow quantification of biotransport, with soil displacement values up to 268 m3 ha–1, improving understanding of disturbance magnitude and spatial distribution.

A decade-long study of treefall mounds and pits following a severe typhoon in northern Japan revealed that initial seedling density was higher in pits, but by the tenth season densities between pits and mounds converged. Light intensity on mounds favoured birch regeneration, while conifer advance was limited under the highest light levels. These findings highlight how microtopography and light environments drive differential species establishment and long-term community composition.

Investigations of old-growth temperate forests have demonstrated that repeated uprooting events shape fine-scale pedodiversity. By comparing disturbance histories and soil units, researchers showed that individual uprooting episodes create persistent microrelief footprints lasting centuries. Variations in soil weathering and organic accumulation under different uprooting frequencies contribute to multiple disturbance regimes within a single forest, influencing soil formation and heterogeneity over millennial timescales.

Tree Uprooting Dynamics in Forest Ecosystems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in tree uprooting dynamics in forest ecosystems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Tree uprooting: The mechanical detachment of a tree’s root system and surrounding soil from the ground surface.

Root plate: The mass of roots and adhering soil lifted when a tree is uprooted, forming the mound component of a pit–mound complex.

Pit–mound complex: A microsite feature comprising a pit (depression) where roots were pulled from soil, and an adjacent mound formed by the displaced root plate.

Biotransport: The movement of soil and rock particles by living organisms, including the transport of material by uprooted root plates.

Pedodiversity: The spatial variability and diversity of soil properties and types within an ecosystem, influenced by disturbance regimes.

Windthrow: A disturbance event in which trees are blown over or uprooted by strong winds, often creating extensive pit–mound microtopography.

References

1. Root plates of uprooted trees − Automatic detection and biotransport estimation using LiDAR data and field mapping. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation (2024).
2. Regeneration Dynamics on Treefall Mounds and Pits for 10 Years after a Windfall in a Natural Mixed Forest. Forests (2021).
3. Disturbances can control fine-scale pedodiversity in old-growth forests: is the soil evolution theory disturbed as well?. Biogeosciences (2014).
4. Biomechanical and biochemical effects recorded in the tree root zone – soil memory, historical contingency and soil evolution under trees. Plant and Soil (2018).