Tall trees and high winds

The Blue Spruce that towers over our farm house is at least 100 feet tall with a circumference of 92″.  The tree is very likely 100 years old, a stately mature Picea pungens Englum.   

According to the USDA, “…the root system of blue spruce is relatively shallow, even in mature trees. In spite of the shallow root system, blue spruce is decidedly windfirm.”  “Windfirm” is not a defined term – as far as I can tell – and so that is a question of significance to our Art Farm.  

The backyard of our 200-year old farm house was traditionally the dump for all waste, and having been overlooked, the invasive Norway Maple thrived.  Because the Norway Maple is very fast growing its wood grain is long, not tight, and so it easily splinters in high winds.  Several maples have sheared and fallen.  Two years ago a smaller, 8” caliper maple, fell onto our above-ground pool.  Luckily the pool survived.  

This year a very large 14” caliper maple sheared and fell into our neighbor’s yard.  Thankfully there was no damage.  We gained firewood but the trend is clear. 

The 2023-24 winter was one of the warmest, with the least snow, since 1940.  What snow we did have came in late March and early April and those storms brought wet heavy snow with gusts up to 50 mph. The damage was considerable.  More than 200,000 Mainers lost power in the first storm, and 350,000 in the latter.  

The Portland Press Herald published these graphs, from the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, which clearly show an established trend over 80 years: winters are warmer and the snowpack is much less.  

The data show facts that we already know from our own experience.  As Bob Dylan sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows.”  During these heavy snow storms, pine and spruce trees are especially at risk because the wet snow clumps on the needles and become like sails against the wind.  

And so the USDA statement that “blue spruce is decidedly windfirm” is of particular concern here.  On the one hand, the stately tree is healthy and vigorous.  On the other hand, it is only 25′ from our house.  It would be very painful to cut it down, but even harder if it fell onto our home.  Hard decisions lie ahead.