Root cohesion of forest species in the Italian Alps

Forests can prevent and/or mitigate hydrogeomorphic hazards in mountainous landscapes. Their effect is particularly relevant in the case of shallow landslides phenomena, where plants decrease the water content of the soil and increase its mechanical strength. Although such an effect is well known, its quantification is a relatively new challenge. The present work estimates the effect of some forest species on hillslope stability in terms of additional root cohesion by means of a model based on the classical Wu and Waldron approach (Wu in Alaska Geotech Rpt No 5 Dpt Civ Eng Ohio State Univ Columbus, USA, 1976; Waldron in Soil Sci Soc Am J 41:843–849, 1977). The model is able to account for root distribution with depth and non-simultaneous root breaking. Samples of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), European larch (Larix decidua Mill.), sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) and European hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia Scop.), were taken from different locations of Lombardy (Northern Italy) to estimate root tensile strength, the Root Area Ratio and the root cohesion distribution in the soil. The results show that, in spite of its dramatic variability within the same species at the same location and among different locations, root cohesion can be coherently interpreted using the proposed method. The values herein obtained are significant for slope stabilisation, are consistent with the results of direct shear tests and back-analysis data, and can be used for the estimation of the stability of forested hillslopes in the Alps.