camping safely on windy nights

[forestgnome]

The trees are waving around like tall grass today, which was kind of scary while walking around in the woods. Sleeping in a tent is another story, since you can't jump out of the way of a falling tree.

I always look around for dead-standing trees and large branches when selecting a spot for my tent. Any tips on identifying live trees that might be ready to uproot in the wind?

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

Any tips on identifying live trees that might be ready to uproot in the wind?

That's a tough one. It's hard to know just what the soil is like a few feet down, and as you might imagine that makes a huge difference as to how well the tree will stand up to the wind.

Let's assume the soil is decent or the ground is solidly frozen:
In Northern New England the Sugar Maples and Oaks (red and white) and Beech are among the most wind resistant trees. They generally have solid root systems and they are very sturdy compared to other species.

Evergreens, Poplar, and Birch are trees to avoid. They have weak root systems, weak wood, and a high water content. The high water content makes them more likely to "snap" in cold windy situations.

In addition, large White Pines, due to their tall height, and high water content make great lightning rods.

Many fruit trees, such as Apple, are also very wind resistant....though apples on the tree are not.

 

[KayakDan]

This is always a concern when we camp on a windy night,particularly in winter. I like to find a spot with shorter pines in a cluster. I figure if a branch comes down,it's smaller,and doesn't fall as far,and these trees seem more flexible.
We have had a tree come down about 5ft away from us when we were hiking. Never heard it until it hit the ground next to us ,and scared the @!*&! out of us!

We were kayak camping on an island in Maine several years ago,and had a run in with a raccoon at night. As I shined a light into the tree above our tent,I spotted a huge"widowmaker" ready to take us out,and it was very windy that night.
So there we are at 11 at night,picking up tent and contents,stumbling in the dark,and of course now it's raining too. Mrs KD was just thrilled.
Now we check very carefully before calling it home!

With allthat in mind,I don't ever remember hearing of an incident of a widowmaker taking out a camper in the Whites. Has it ever happened?

 

[jbrown]

Old growth white pine makes a horrible wind break.
Back in '93 or '94 my brother and a couple of friends were nearly flattened when a fierce storm came up in the middle of the night and 3' diameter pines started coming down all around them. It looked like a warzone in the morning.

 

[Waumbek]

Old growth white pine makes a horrible wind break.

Ditto on old growth white pine. Forget the tent, my house is in amongst a number of them. I've had one huge one taken down. Another snapped in half and threw the upper part like a dart close to the house but missed it. The others I just worry about when the wind picks up.