Global change is altering ecosystems around the world, with forest fragmentation being a prominent example. These changes can affect belowground components, such as fine roots, which play a key role in ecosystem functioning. Fine root traits often correlate with each other, and these relationships may shift in response to global change. The Root Economic Space (RES) provides a framework for understanding these correlations, highlighting trade-offs between four key root traits: specific root length (SRL), root diameter (D), root nitrogen content (N), and root tissue density (RTD). In this study, we examined how fine root traits differ among dominant Northeastern U.S. temperate forest tree species: red oak (Quercus rubra), red maple (Acer rubrum), and white pine (Pinus strobus) across a forest structural gradient (clearing, edge, interior). To achieve this, i. we collected soil and root cores along 3 transects across a recently fragmented forest, ii. extracted and cleaned fine roots, and iii. analyzed their traits using the RhizoVision Explorer software. Our results suggest that root traits are more strongly driven by species identity than by forest position, with red maples having higher SRL, red oaks having a higher RTD, and white pines having higher D. This aligns with our previous understanding of the RES, where red maples traditionally have a “do-it-yourself” strategy and red oaks and white pines tend to have an “outsourcing” strategy. These findings contribute to our understanding of responses in fine root traits to ecological disturbances and deepens insight into patterns within the Root Economics Space. Additionally, this work lays the groundwork for future research on fine root responses to other disturbances, such as drought and extreme precipitation, that will further elucidate whether these root traits are primarily fixed by species, or if forest trees display plastic responses in their root traits along resource/stress gradients.