Arid and semi-arid shelterbelts must provide long-term ecological protection under chronic water scarcity, high evaporative demand, and rising salinization risk, yet management still lacks an integrated framework linking irrigation, root-zone salt dynamics, and woody plant performance. Here, we synthesize evidence on water-salt-root linkages in drip-irrigated shelterbelts and related dryland woody systems from a structured Web of Science Core Collection search (1 January 2000-1 January 2026). The evidence shows that shelterbelt performance is governed not by water or salinity alone, but by a coupled root-zone system: localized irrigation creates moisture-salt heterogeneity, salts accumulate near evaporative fronts and emitter margins, and roots redistribute depth, density, and uptake zones. In hyper-arid saline-drip systems, precipitation may be only similar to 24.6 to <50 mm yr(-1), evaporation > 3000-3639 mm yr(-1), groundwater salinity 2.8-29.7 g L-1, active roots 20-80 cm, and salt mainly in the 0-20 cm surface layer. Irrigation thus acts as both the basis of establishment and a source of long-term vulnerability, particularly where saline groundwater or other non-conventional water sources are used. Management options can improve root-zone habitability, but shelterbelt-specific thresholds and integrated indicators remain limited. This review proposes a root-zone-centered framework supporting predictive regulation.