UHI Research Findings
In her research, Cornell Urban Horticulture Institute
Director Nina Bassuk explores tree transplanting in all
its facets: species selection, site preparation, production
method (bare root, container, B&B), root desiccation and
root circling considerations, caliper size, and aftercare.
More recently, she added hydraulic conductance (water
uptake) to the conversation as she sought answers
as to why certain species tend to develop cavitation
(also known as embolism or air bubbles) in their xylem
when they are exposed to a drought stress event. >>
Nina Bassuk
Urban Horticulture Institute
Transplanting Research Update
with Joe Charap and Mike DeMarco Field Observations
by Michelle Sutton, City Trees Editor
Bare root harvested trees retain
a much higher percentage of
fine oots (right) than balled-
and-burlapped trees (left,
with soil removed), but not
all street tree species survive
bare root transplanting well.
Dr. Nina Bassuk and her team
looked not just at how many
roots a harvested tree has, but
at how functional those roots
are in terms of water uptake.
Photo Courtesy Cornell Urban
Horticulture Institute (UHI)
Cavitation (air bubbles) interrupts water
flow in xylem tissue Courtesy UHI
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