27 January 2009 "How the mighty have fallen" The Bay of Biscay
windstorm that crossed France this past week took down a
223-year-old beech tree planted in 1786 to honor Marie
Antoinette. Since my summer hobby is working and exploring
woods, I see lots of treefalls. What never fails to impress me
is the shallow root system of even the largest mature specimens.
Many people have a mistaken preconception that tall trees have
deep roots, but in fact there are few species (typically desert
ones) that have anything approaching a taproot. There is no
advantage to a tree to send deep roots, since all the nutrition
and water rests in the top few inches of the soil. Giant trees
are typically brought down not by wind alone, but by winds that
follow soaking rains that loosen the topsoil. Another prominent
factor is the susceptibility of isolated trees planted in the
center of parks and lawns, where there no other trees to block
the wind or provide lateral support when the top sways.
Impressive size, majesty, and dominance