The AirKnife offers us a unique opportunity to explore an area of arboriculture that has, until now, been beyond our reach, hidden below ground. It is amazing how little we know about tree root systems, with some of the most significant work undertaken after the storms of 1987 & 1990, where the exposed roots of wind blown trees were measured and their growth characteristics recorded.

As part of our work with the AirKnife we are recording the root systems of trees we are asked to work on. Chasing out and measuring how far the roots extend away from the main trunk, how deep do they grow and in what form. Our results will eventually enable us to produce a catalogue of tree root forms. If it is possible within the scope of the job and physically practical we expose and lift the entire tree root system.

Our research work has only just begun and we welcome the opportunity to explore new root horizons, but we have to be able to fund our work with commercial contracts as well, and wherever possible we combine the two. However, if you are planning to remove an unusual or rare tree and it is practical to expose the roots, possibly in their entirety, we would be interested in the opportunity to undertake this work so we can include the details in our catalogue.

As indicated above our research work currently receives no external funding and is supported solely by income from commercial contracts. However, we would welcome the opportunity to work with others and utilise grant funding if available, so please contact us to discuss your ideas.

Read more about how the AirKnife works an idea of where it can be used: what is the AirKnife, construction sites, pipeline trenching, tree health investigations, and remedial mulching.