Something else to consider:

Leading lines. Find a root and set your camera up so that the line of that root leads your viewers into the scene..to the other roots, tree base etc. Also humans are naturally attracted to the brightest part of a photo. Go look at some photos and if you are reasonably self aware you will find your eyes wander to the brightest part of the photo. So make sure that what you want your viewer to look at is reasonably bright, in the overall photo.

If you look at the above examples, the ones that stand out just for the roots, are those that have the roots as a bright part of the photo. Feathers photo is a beautiful scene, but the roots are just part of that. Same with Jo's portrait, the roots work, but our eyes move to the lady as she is brighter.

You want to compose and edit your photo so that the roots are what draw people in.

So to go back to your photo in your initial post, the roots are nice, but our eyes are drawn to the brighter part of the photo, especially the right hand side, and we go looking at the background, rather than what you want us to look at.

This brightest part of the photo thing does not just apply to tree roots, it applies to fairly much all photography. When using colour photography, a single dominant colour can have the same effect. There is a reason National Geographic photographers for years photographed 'native' people in full regalia as they often displayed very bright clothing or head-dresses. And all so often in a bright red. It even became a bit of a badge of honour to get a national geographic 'red' portrait. Why? Cause It Works! It makes our eyes look at what the photographer wants us to look at.