Using the root spread information of pioneer plants to quantify their mitigation potential against shallow landslides and erosion in temperate humid climates

The results indicated that pioneer herbs, although presenting climate-influenced shallow root systems, could noticeably contribute to reducing soil mass loss and landslides. This was largely determined by the plant biomass and allometry, the latter being a potential readily measurable proxy for species selection in slope stabilisation that will need further investigation. Additionally, our observations supported the model predictions remarkably well when site-specific inputs were employed, showing that the proposed model is a suitable and cost-effective tool to provide spatial root spread information for eco-engineering purposes in temperate humid climates.