Strength of tree roots and landslides on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

The stability of slopes before and after removal of forest cover was investigated. Porewater pressures and shear strengths were measured and the soil properties were determined by laboratory and in situ tests. A model of the soil–root system was developed to evaluate the contribution of tree roots t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Geotechnical Journal
Main Authors: Wu, Tien H., McKinnell III, William P., Swanston, Douglas N.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1979
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/t79-003
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/t79-003
Description
Summary:The stability of slopes before and after removal of forest cover was investigated. Porewater pressures and shear strengths were measured and the soil properties were determined by laboratory and in situ tests. A model of the soil–root system was developed to evaluate the contribution of tree roots to shear strength. The computed safety factors are in general agreement with observed behaviors of the slopes. Decay of tree roots subsequent to logging was found to cause a reduction in the shear strength of the soil–root system.