ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the physiological foundations of tree establishment and how this can be managed and understood in urban environments to optimize planting success. Metrics that may signal completion of the establishment process include the return of pre-transplant shoot extension or trunk expansion, the replacement of roots lost at harvest, re-establishment of tree height to root spread, and recovery of leaf gas exchange. All of these metrics are useful proxies for the completion of what we really mean by the establishment period: the time post-transplant when a tree is not self-sustaining at its new location and is at heightened risk of failure. Fostering conditions that support rapid root regrowth is therefore essential to successfully navigating the establishment period. In addition to the paramount need for a suitable soil environment, adequate water supply is essential since root regeneration is directly dependent upon water for both physiological viability and cell expansion.
