Determining When Trees Are Drought Stressed
By Richard Waring / On February 18th, 2019
Unlike most annual crops, the roots of long-lived trees can penetrate through soils to great depth to reach water (Figure 1). If we can’t tell how deeply roots penetrate, how do we determine when trees run out of water? One way is to monitor the moisture status of leaves and twigs, because these are connected through the sapwood in branches, stems, and roots to water deep underground.
