So what? What does it actually mean? The reality is that we need this sort of information to understand potential changes in how soil might become more susceptible to landslides and erosion once plants have died. Clearly it is always better to have living plants but sometimes this cannot be avoided, for example through disease outbreaks (like Ash die back) or commercial forest harvesting. What is important is knowing the potential impact of changes so management strategies can be put in place to minimise any associated risks.

On a basic level we have shown that in general root strength will decrease once plants die, but, in some species, roots will maintain their strength. When it comes to a more associated measure of root properties, how elastic they are, roots may become stiffer, rather than being like an elastic band and more like dry spaghetti, not stretching very far before they break. This could be quite important to know; soil has the potential to expand and shrink naturally, such as through processes associated with water storage; if roots are stiffer they are potentially more likely to break with a smaller amount of movement. The more elastic the roots are the more the ground can potentially move without losing its strength, this can be important in areas where small movement might occur naturally over time.

We are beginning to understand more about what makes a root good for stabilising soil. It is important in the wider environment considering soil only develops at a rate of 1cm every 200-400 years, this amount of soil can be eroded and washed away very quickly without proper care. Through an understanding of changes in ‘risk’ of slope failure and erosion we can start manging the environment to protect one of our greatest resources.