white pine root system??   jarred trout   Jan 30, 2004 06:50 PST  good morning brothers and sisters of the green.... sorry for the dumb ones about to follow.... what does the root structure of the white pine look like? do all pines have the same type of root structure? thank-you, jarred_trout (pre-certified, ENTS novice, looking to pass the exam to apprentice status Re: white pine root system??   Lee E. Frelich   Jan 30, 2004 08:07 PST  Jarred: White pine has extremely variable root structure. I have seen a lot of white pine root systems in the big blowdown in the Boundary Waters in northern MN, in areas where the soil was burned away in severe forest fires, and in areas where soil was washed away by erosional processes. There is no typical root system. The roots conform to the soil structure and can go straight down into crevices, horizontally over bedrock or hardpans, from hummock to hummock in swamps, and be symmetrical and about 3-4 feet deep in uniform sandy soils. The roots typically extend 2-3 times the distance from the trunk as the crown. Lee Re: white pine root system??   jarred trout   Jan 30, 2004 08:44 PST  Lee: So if a pine was growing above a large boulder (semi-eliptical shaped) could the root structure wrap around it?? Thank-you, js Re: white pine root system??   Lee E. Frelich   Jan 30, 2004 09:18 PST  Jarred: Yes, essentially the shape of the root system is determined by the physical environment. Lee   Home