Wind!

Today we had some gusty weather, the signaling of a rough cold front moving through the area over the next few days. Being in the forest was unnerving, especially when the sound of cracking was heard. Keep in mind, most of the trees I filmed today are at least 60′ tall. Many of these gusts were clocked at over 40mph, more than enough force to send trees toppling over.

I watched this red cedar fall on the neighbors property. The tree fell so slowly, as though laying down for a nap. I don’t think it will be getting up again. When the winds come through like this, it really is hazardous to hang out in the woods. Sudden gusts, like the one filmed above, can send tops of large trees crashing down. Many of our larger evergreen trees shed branches in the wind. Some of these branches are sizable, and capable of impaling through the roof of your house, or car.

Luckily nothing serious fell at Leafhopper Farm today, but there were a lot of cracking noises in the forest, and another windstorm could easily finish felling what was started today. I’ll be keeping an eye on the trees as we plunge into freezing temperatures down to the teens with a chance of snow. Let’s hope there’s not another winds storm soon!