Roots add strength to the soil by vertically stabilizing the soil to fractures in the bedrock and also laterally by tying weak portions of slopes together with stronger portions of the slope. In major areas of the Northwest root strength is the dominant factor in maintaining soil strength and combating against erosion (Swanston, Swanson. 1976). With this being said one of the main causes of erosion in the Northwest is due to clear cutting of trees and removing the root systems that hold the soil together. Bishop and Steven give a good example of how root systems help prevent erosion in their article Landslides on Logged Areas in Southeast Alaska, they report that on 67 percent slopes in Alaska both acreage and number of landslides increased fourfold after clearcutting of forests have taken place (Bishop,
Roots add strength to the soil by vertically stabilizing the soil to fractures in the bedrock and also laterally by tying weak portions of slopes together with stronger portions of the slope. In major areas of the Northwest root strength is the dominant factor in maintaining soil strength and combating against erosion (Swanston, Swanson. 1976). With this being said one of the main causes of erosion in the Northwest is due to clear cutting of trees and removing the root systems that hold the soil together. Bishop and Steven give a good example of how root systems help prevent erosion in their article Landslides on Logged Areas in Southeast Alaska, they report that on 67 percent slopes in Alaska both acreage and number of landslides increased fourfold after clearcutting of forests have taken place (Bishop,