Falling Tree Limbs

[climbzemountains]

I was out hiking/scrambling in Mt. Rainier National Park last weekend, on a breezy day, after a good amount of snow had fallen, when suddenly a fatal-sized-looking tree limb fell not 10 feet in front of me.

 

Hearing about the road worker killed by a falling tree branch in the news recently kind of got me freaked out, yet I don't think I've ever heard of a hiker being killed by a branch.

 

Should I be taking any precautions to avoid falling tree branches, like avoiding windy days, or was this just a super rare occurance?

 

...Or is this a stupid question?

 

 

[selkirk]

Somebody died up at Hamlin Park in Shoreline last month when he was struck by a blown down tree branch while out walking his dog

 

 

[genepires]

probability wise, it is a super rare occurance to have a fatal size branch get close to you. If it was a common occurance that big branches fall when people are around, then there wouldn't be trees at all. That applies to strong forests.

Now trees that grow out of soggy ground or at the edge of new clearcuts are more likely to fall in heavy winds. The forest behind my house was logged a couple years ago and every wind storm would bring down another couple of trees. Also trees that grow really fast would be suspect in high windy days. LIke Alders or whatever grows in floodplains areas.

probably best to stay out of the forest in super high wind days though. Every spring, the trails have new debris across the trail. Did the fall winds or winter snow bring them down?

[climbzemountains]

Yeah, I'm guessing the fresh snow and high winds worked together to take it down while I was around. If it is very uncommon to see a large branch fall I guess I can stop being paranoid

 

Most of the travel I do in wooded areas is among the old growth forests of the area. I'm guessing old growth forests are relatively free of trees and branches falling, compared to other places.

 

Thanks for the help!!

[Bug]

I went running up McClellan Butte a few years ago. I started at the highway and ran up to the road. I was just starting up the trail from there when a foot long icicle came down right in front of me. It was thick enough to do some damage. I looked around and noticed that all the trees were full of them. Some were clearly over 5 lbs of ice. Whenever a wind gust came up I could hear more falling. I turned around and went home.

[kinnikinnick]

i almost died running through point defiance park in tacoma during a windstorm. heard a loud ass CRACK, looked up and saw a massive doug fir fragment comin' straight for my dome piece

[Le Piston]

About ten years ago going in to climb the Triple Couloirs route on Dragontail, I had a whole tree come down about 100 feet from me on the approach. It sure got my attention! Certainly, you must be aware of all possible hazards and keep your radar tuned to conditions around you...snowpack, rocks, wind, crevasses, weather, etc. If you are in trees with a lot of dead limbs on a windy day, watch your topknot...or wait for better weather.

[Bug]

I was at a gathering of musicians up Fish creek near Missoula a couple years ago. My father and a couple brothers were there as well as our kids. We set up our tents in various places and then a wind storm came up. A big snag started making loud cracking sounds at its base so we were watching it carefully. Finally it started to fall right for my fathers tent which I was standing next to. It wasn't staked down so I grabbed it by a corner and ran out of the way. Note, always keep one eye on the falling tree when getting out from under it. It fell as predicted right across where my fathers tent had been The only casualty was his pillow. It was run through with a four inch diameter staub and pinned to the ground.

[AlpineK]

Here's a recent study done using NOAA data:

 

A study by Dr. Tomas Schmidlin a Certified Consulting Meteorologist catalogued tree related deaths from storms. In a 13-year period from 1995 to 2007, 407 people suffered fatality from a strike by a tree. This translates into 1.45 deaths per million per year. Due to tree size and population density more deaths did happen in the NW and NE parts of the US.

 

The number is much lower than the number of people killed by vehicles or even those struck by lightning.

 

Here's some stuff to keep in mind. In the study 2/3rds of fatalities were males. 44% occured in vehicles and 38% happened while outdoors. One amusing item from the study. 18% of fatalities occured to people in houses, but half of those deaths were to people living in moblie home trailers.

 

You're at a high risk from: being a male, living in a trailer park, and disregarding windstorms and driving out to go for a hike.

 

Just a guess, but dumps of snow are like a windstorm in some ways.

[montypiton]

Yee-haw - back in the late eighties had a 12"+ diameter ponderosa pine come down at my place that crushed the roof of my subaru and punched a hole through the roof of my house! Had enough windfall in the fourteen years I lived there that I never had to stray more than 100' from my driveway for firewood, which was the house's primary heat source. Probably best to just stay above timberline...

[grandpa]

I was out hiking/scrambling in Mt. Rainier National Park last weekend, on a breezy day, after a good amount of snow had fallen, when suddenly a fatal-sized-looking tree limb fell not 10 feet in front of me.

 

Should I be taking any precautions to avoid falling tree branches, like avoiding windy days, or was this just a super rare occurance?

 

...Or is this a stupid question?

 

 

 

NOT a stupid question at all. And yes, you need to be aware of branches that might fall. I do it by looking up (noticing ones that look "iffy"), and listening carefully while you walk and adjust the path accordingly. This is one of the first things dad taught me when I followed him out hunting......MANY years ago....

 

 

[sprocket]

Seems like there is one fatality every couple of years around here from a falling branch hitting a hiker. I was out a few years back trudging up the old Si trail with my head phones on and ran into a guy hiking with a helmet on. We both kind of looked at eachother like the other one was an idiot. Of course I was the idiot because the winds were howling pretty good and I was in my own world only focused on getting to the top as fast as I could. Fortunately nothing landed on or near me. Was out riding my bike one windy winter evening a few years back and was coming through the park just above Leschi. I stopped at a stop sign and then started rolling through the intersection. I hadn't gotten more than a few feet when I heard a big crack and turned around to see a big limb sitting right where I had stopped seconds earlier. Probably wouldn't have been fatal (had a helmet on this time) but would have been painful.

 

Snow or ice would increase the danger.

[keenwesh]

my dad had a huge oak limb fall on the car he was in. (he was maybe 8 years old) on a windless day in minnesota, totally destroyed the car he was in and nearly killed him, my grandmother, and my two aunts.

[keenwesh]

in the summer. freak occurrence. be careful around trees I guess!

[Mtguide]

Gravity never sleeps!

[AlpineK]

Here are some real numbers for you all

 

2009 Tree Accidents

 

• 59 fatalities
  
• 44 Injuries
  

The above numbers are for non work related accidents

 

Think about that and compare it to vehicle accidents. I don't have 2009 numbers, but in 2005 there were 43,443 fatalities related to driving.

 

 

My advice is to take care when you drive to the crag/trailhead or after stopping off at a bar for a post climb drink.

[Mtguide]

Actually we consider the drive home to be the most dangerous part of any climbing trip.

[Mal_Con]

I was heading up the Skyline trail in the Olympics above Irely Lake a few years ago in October when a storm blew through. There were many large trees i.e. over 6' diameter falling all around us we buggered out but it was close to the scariest time ever in the mountains. In recent years there have been fatalities on Rattlesnake Ledges and Fay Bainbridge Parks that I am aware of. There is a reason they are called widowmakers.