Annual rings, where are they observed in roots? The wood in the root crown... the area of flare where trunk and root system merge has a different characteristic than trunk wood, less differentiated. Is this uniform across (hardwood) species? At what point as identifiable, individual roots emerge from the trunk/root crown will annual rings be observed in root wood? Or will annual rings be observable at any cross section as you move from trunk down through root crown and out into individual roots?

Next question. I can't put my finger on the particular citation(s), but I think the literature says that the major roots, the future buttresses, are identifiable in a seedling... these are the roots the tree will mature with. If that's true can we assume buttress roots in a mature tree will be the same age as the tree? If we can, can we then anticipate that if annual rings are observeable they will be much narrower than trunk rings? (Visualize the diameter of the typical buttress root compared to the diameter of the trunk it supports.... the math is simple, if they are the same age the annual increment(s) in the root would have to be smaller.)

Just working through some logic and need confirmation or critique.

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on April 07, 2000 at 06:05:59:

Scott,

Lamott-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades NY has been working on tree rings and recently root rings as part of their study of studies of earthquakes.

See their report at:

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/record/record2013.24.html

Wayne

Reply to post by Wayne, on April 07, 2000 at 06:05:59:

Thanks. Cover photo and and abstratct of the cited article are at:
http://geosociety.org/pubs/geo9501.htm#top in Geology

Do I recall your telling me that ldoe will not core Quercus alba becasue it breaks their big bucks bits?

Reply to post by Scott, on April 07, 2000 at 09:47:52:

That was the case in 1985 on white oak. They were using a power borer that was geared for hemlock (which was apparently their primary info source on the project I met them on) and they did some other species but balked at Q. alba. They had a machine with a 3' bit and had lost two bits or something like that in Q. alba and didnt want to loose another. They cored a red oak for us however.