Hurricane Igor Impacts at Northern Latitudes: Factors Influencing Tree Fall in an Urban Setting
| Autor: | Hiliary Martin, Maria Jewison, Ian Gidge, Troy Davis, Kaylah Parsons, Heidi Patterson, Ashley Quirke, Yolanda F. Wiersma, Elizabeth Eberendu |
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| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. 38:92-98 |
| ISSN: | 2155-0778 1935-5297 |
| DOI: | 10.48044/jauf.2012.015 |
| Popis: | Hurricane Igor was a Category 1 hurricane when it passed the island of Newfoundland, Canada, causing extensive damage. Hurricanes are un- common at northern latitudes, and boreal species are not adapted to hurricane-force winds. Moreover, much of the storm damage was in the urban area of the City of St. John's, where there are also numerous non-native trees. This research tested whether there were attributes of trees (e.g., height, diameter at breast height, slenderness, species, age, or distance to nearest tree) that may have influenced whether a tree fell or was left standing. The study authors sampled 70 trees and found that DBH was a significant predictor of tree fall (snapping or uprooting). Conifers were no more or less likely to fall in the storm than decidu- ous trees, nor were native trees more or less susceptible to wind damage than non-natives. These results suggest that for a boreal, urban ecosystem, there are no target species available that could be planted strategically to minimize risk of tree fall in a major wind event. Thus, to minimize storm damage to human- built infrastructure in regions where hurricanes are rare, the best strategy would be to avoid having large trees located in close proximity to infrastructure. Key Words. Abies balsamea; Acer platanoides; Acer pseudoplatanus; Betula papyrifera; Boreal Forest; Hurricane; Picea mariana; Tilia americana; Tree Damage; Urban Forest; Wind Damage. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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