Tree Fall Danger | Hiking Trails | Kananaskis Outdoors Forum

Out on Opal Ridge South this weekend, as usual it looked like a storm was gonna swamp us at any moment, but never materialized.

There was however some very strong wind gusts! I understand that same day a hiker on Galetea trail was serioulsy injured by a falling tree. I can't think of anyway to be safer in high winds I guess,  avoid areas with standing dead trees when stopping on the trail?

For what it's worth…

Most evergreens that grow here (pine, spruce) have shallow roots and rely on other trees to stay upright in strong winds. Look at any fallen down tree — even a big one — to see how shallow the roots go. The edges of cutblocks are notoriously prone to wind blowdown for this reason. I spent a year in the BC Government with a bunch of Forestry people and this was one of the the few things they didn't like about clear cuts.

Aspens grow in groves of related trees all connected underground. They are limber and very hard to blow down. The root systems and the places they grow make them hardy in winds.

The trees most at risk in a windstorm are (1) very tall pines, spruces & firs without equally tall trees around them; (2) older trees in dry shallow soils (think west facing slopes in rain shadow areas, or any slope where the topsoil is very thin); (3) trees on steep wind facing slopes where runoff keeps the soil thin by washing it away.

I was in a gully today that was wall to wall blowdown. It had steep sides and virtually no topsoil. So the combination of erosion and wind did in about 50% of the trees (an made the going very tough).

In a strong windstorm, head to flatter ground with a big grove of aspens. Unfortunately, life rarely that such a grove is nearby when you need it.