why tall trees collapse in strom?
Answers
Explanation:
because of great surface area face air resistance
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Answer:
The most basic answer is simple physics.
The short trees or trees of average height are in a “safety in numbers” situation, because by their distribution and mass they’re sheltering each other from the wind, reducing the level of wind that any individual tree will catch. The taller tree isn’t sheltered from the force of the wind at the upper reach of the tree grove.
This relates to the leverage factor. Think of each tree as a lever, with the fulcrum point being the surface of the ground the tree is growing out of. In this analogy, the taller tree (longer “handle”) offers the wind a longer lever, so the wind’s force is more effective at delivering force down to the the ground. Hence wind may be more effective at disrupting the tree’s stablizing system (roots in the soil).
(Of course, alternatively, because it is catching so much wind, the tall tree’s trunk may snap at any point of weakness along it’s length.)
Another factor that can come into play is that the taller tree may be older than many of those around it. As time goes on, under certain soil conditions, there is the possibility that the tree’s roots may have begun to rot, reducing the tree’s grip in the soil (reducing its stability). It’s not terribly uncommon to see large trees whose root systems have been reduced by root rot, pushed over (with much of what remains of their roots then being visible above ground, having been torn out).