Root Reinforcement in Slope Stability Models: A Review

The influence of vegetation on mechanical and hydrological soil behavior represents a significant factor to be considered in shallow landslides modelling. Among the multiple effects exerted by vegetation, root reinforcement is widely recognized as one of the most relevant for slope stability. Lately, the literature has been greatly enriched by novel research on this phenomenon. To investigate which aspects have been most treated, which results have been obtained and which aspects require further attention, we reviewed papers published during the period of 2015-2020 dealing with root reinforcement. This paper-after introducing main effects of vegetation on slope stability, recalling studies of reference-provides a synthesis of the main contributions to the subtopics: (i) approaches for estimating root reinforcement distribution at a regional scale; (ii) new slope stability models, including root reinforcement and (iii) the influence of particular plant species, forest management, forest structure, wildfires and soil moisture gradient on root reinforcement. Including root reinforcement in slope stability analysis has resulted a topic receiving growing attention, particularly in Europe; in addition, research interests are also emerging in Asia. Despite recent advances, including root reinforcement into regional models still represents a research challenge, because of its high spatial and temporal variability: only a few applications are reported about areas of hundreds of square kilometers. The most promising and necessary future research directions include the study of soil moisture gradient and wildfire controls on the root strength, as these aspects have not been fully integrated into slope stability modelling.

Automated summary

The paper reviews research on root reinforcement published between 2015 and 2020, focusing on approaches for estimating root reinforcement distribution, new slope stability models incorporating root reinforcement, and the impact of specific plant species, forest management, among other factors on root reinforcement. Despite the growing attention towards including root reinforcement in slope stability analysis, challenges remain in integrating it into regional models, with future research directions pointing towards studying the effects of soil moisture gradient and wildfires on root strength.