Storm survival reflects species wood traits, not just tree strength

Evidence

But notice that, though about 150 trees per acre were snapped in two or crushed by the hurricane in the picture, still many trees were left standing. This may be a sign not so much of strength as resilience. Such trees bowed before the wind and did not snap, very much as grass stems bow before great winds and straighten themselves when the winds have passed. … A close examination of such trees struck by a hurricane should show us some interesting things. Trees with weaknesses caused by disease, or insect or animal damage, would probably be among the first to go down, but also certain species of trees would fall or break easier than others. Trees with deep tap roots, like the oaks, should hold against the storm fairly well, except that oak wood is comparatively brittle and therefore might snap. — Vinson Brown, Reading the Woods, 180

Categorization

• XREF: Predicting which Minnesota species snap versus bow in windstorms helps disturbance-story reading. — connects to: Bark beetles kill trees by girdling the cambium layer — Vinson Brown, Reading the Woods: Seeing More in…, 559; Root-system depth determines which species survive coastal gales — Vinson Brown, Reading the Woods: Seeing More in…, 163