It is true, they say, that tree roots can trap sliding soil but only for shallow landslides of up to a metre in depth.

ECONOMIST: Deforestation and floods

Today, it is blissfully quiet - though back in town, on the elegant Rue St-Louis, there is a cannonball still wedged in the roots of a tree that is said to date from that battle.

BBC: Qu��bec's wood runners

New York has experienced only 2.06 inches of rain the past 20 days after a winter that set records for snow, which funneled water to tree roots.

WSJ: Sniff, Sneeze, Blow, Wipe, Repeat

This is the period of time that the cicada nymphs remain underground, feeding on sap from tree roots until their biological alarm-clocks go off.

ECONOMIST: The 17-year cicadas are about to emerge in force

If the roots extend past three feet, chances are good that they can support the tree.

WSJ: Getting to the Roots of Your Trees' Stress

Several historians, when confronted with the question, speculated that the basketball bracket could have its roots in another organizational art form: the family tree.

WSJ: NCAA Tournament: Where Was the Bracket Born?