Work

Fine and coarse roots of Pinus ponderosa trees: contributions to belowground carbon and nitrogen pools

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The fine, coarse, and tap roots of 32-year-old Pinus ponderosa growing at 1075 trees ha -1 in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, USA, had biomass of 4.6, 42.2, and 27.8 Mg ha -1 , respectively, containing 34 Mg carbon ha -1 and 125 kg nitrogen ha -1 . Compared with these direct measurements, the base equations used in the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Vegetation Simulator use a higher carbon concentration (50%) but generate a lower total biomass (52.4 vs 74.7 Mg ha -1 ). Measuring root systems is complex and challenging, so this result is unsurprising given the few studies available for models that sampled belowground tree biomass compared to those for aboveground traits. Moreover, belowground root traits, including those of fine roots observed in this study, vary across a range of genetic, edaphic, and/or silvicultural factors. Thus, recent calls to improve forest carbon modeling requests that researchers prioritize increasing the sampling and reporting of belowground biomass. These data contribute to that effort.

Source: Frontiers in Plant Science

DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2026.1969066

Authors: Antonio Montagnoli, Mattia Terzaghi, Bruno Lasserre, Donato Chiatante, R. Kasten Dumroese