Useful information and news about wind and trees, with links to current projects, recent research results, and models of the interactions between wind and trees.

The impact of wind on trees

As trees grow, they acclimate themselves to resist the wind loading that they have experienced, with open-grown trees strengthening themselves much more than stand-grown trees ^{(Ref 1)}. During storms, wind loads can exceed the strength that has developed in tree stems and root systems, and trees will either uproot or their stems will break.

Windstorms disrupt forest management planning and the supply of timber, threaten public safety, and damage infrastructure including roads, rail links and power supplies. Changes in forest structure that result from windthrow, the associated addition of woody material to the soil, and mixing of soil profiles all have long-lasting ecological consequences.

Ref 1: Mitchell S, Moore J, Peltola H, Peterson C and Ruel J-C. (2008). Wind and Trees Special Issue Forestry 81: i-ii.

International wind and trees research

Understanding the interactions of aerodynamic, mechanical, biological and ecological processes that are involved in the responses of trees to the wind environment is necessarily an interdisciplinary and collaborative process.

The study of wind damage to trees and forests, as well as the effects of the wind on tree development and ecology, is the focus of an interdisciplinary group of researchers from around the world. The ‘Wind and Trees’ group is linked under the umbrella of IUFRO unit 8.03.06 “Impact of wind on forests”. The group collaborates in research projects and knowledge transfer, and organises conferences and workshops.

Wind and trees events

Past events

• 6th IUFRO 8.03.06 International Conference on Wind and Trees
  Georgia, USA, July/August 2011
• Tree Stability: Models Standardisation and Integration Workshop
  UMR AMAP, Montpellier, October 2009.
• 2nd International Conference – Wind effects on Trees
  Freiburg, Germany, October 2009.
• Forest Wind Damage Modelling Workshop
  Forest Research, Edinburgh, October 2008.
• Wind and Trees International Conference
  University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada, 2007.
• Wind Effects on Trees International Conference
  University of Karlsruhe, Germany, 2003.
• Wind and other Abiotic Risks to Forests International Conference
  Joensuu, Finland, 1998.
• Wind and Wind Related Damage to Trees International Conference
  Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, 1993.