Three major issues may be the reason trees fail in this way.

Mar 13, Look to the roots and you may find your answer. Trees create a magnificent root structure to hold their wide spreading canopies upright. Rainy, windy weather may damage a few weaker branches, but trees with healthy root systems will “weather the storm”.

As soils get saturated, roots will move (slip) in the soil when the wind pushes on the tree. A tree could fall the way it leans, or any other direction, as wind produces a rocking motion that can be amplified. Roots may not be spread to match the spread of the limbs. If you are doing a controlled felling of the tree, the standard approach is to remove the limbs first, in a fairly balanced order, lopping off from opposite sides.

If the remaining trunk leans a direction that you do not wish it to fall, you can just. Nov 12, Why do some trees fall in a storm, while most do not?

If so, has the lean increased in recent years?

To find out, I asked three experts to explain the science behind falling trees: David R. Foster, Director, Harvard Forest at Harvard Author: Mary Knudson. “It is possible for trees to topple with little rain or wind if the roots are decayed” says de Vos.

“So I suppose the answer is any amount can cause a tree to fall, given the extenuating underground circumstances. Remember that roughly 90% of a tree’s roots are in the upper 18″- 24″ of soil.”Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins. May 16, Have the extra stems removed, because as they get older and taller, these can push against each other in a storm and one might give way.

♦ Trees growing alone develop a Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins.