Root system attributes of 12 juvenile indigenous early colonising shrub and tree species with potential for mitigating erosion in New Zealand

Background Restoring erosion-prone land with indigenous species, whether by managed reforestation (planting) or by passive natural reversion, is reliant on knowing which species mix is likely to provide the quickest and most effective mitigation against shallow landslides. In turn, this requires knowledge of differences in growth metrics among plant species, particularly during their formative years. This study presents data on the root development and architecture of 12 of New Zealand’s commonest early colonising indigenous shrub and tree species. These data are crucial to the development of guidelines and policy for land use conversion and future land management options where unmitigated erosion is of increasing concern.