Regeneration of waves occurs at about 60 year intervals. Rime accumulates more on trees exposed to wind. Rime ice forms on the trees when water droplets in the air hit solid surfaces and immediately freeze. Wind velocity at the edge of the tree canopy is over 50% higher than within the forest. Fir waves move very slowly, over decades, in the direction of the prevailing wind. The waves are areas of standing dead fir trees with healthy trees surrounding them. High-elevation forests are often marked by “fir waves.” These are crescent-shaped bands of dead trees that you can see in systematic patterns across the sides of the mountains. ![]() The overall direction of the wave motion is therefore directly related to wind direction. ![]() As these trees die, adjacent trees experience the same conditions and begin to die. Being rocked by the wind while supporting ice loads also causes their fine rootlets – which are important for delivering nutrients to the tree – to break underground. Trees at the leeward edge of the canopy opening in the wave are exposed to winds and die from loss of needles and branches due to heavy ice accumulation. ![]() Ice, Snow and Wind Move Fir Waves Across the MountainsĮconomically and ecologically important, Balsam Fir is a keystone species of the eastern North American boreal zone. The provincial tree of New Brunswick, Canada, it can form dense single species stands in some areas of northeastern North America, especially in the high mountains.
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