Pinus contorta Dougl. was grown on deep peat in plots in which the water tables were maintained artificially at five levels ranging from zero to 34 cm below the ground surface. Root growth was severely restricted under conditions of waterlogging, but a progressive improvement was seen as the level of the water table was lowered. Root morphology varied according to water treatment but in all profiles root development was largely confined to the upper, aerobic horizons of the profiles as defined by absence of sulphide staining on silver rods and redox potential measurements. There was a higher air/moisture volume ratio in the upper horizons of the peat in those parts of the plots planted with trees than in those under the natural vegetation.
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R. Boggie (1972) studied this question.