%0 Research article
%T Factors affecting wind and snow damage of individual trees in a small management unit in Finland: assessment based on inventoried damage and mechanistic modelling
%A Zubizarreta-Gerendiain, Ane
%A Pellikka, Petri
%A Garcia-Gonzalo, Jordi
%A Ikonen, Veli-Pekka
%A Peltola, Heli
%D 2012
%J Silva Fennica
%V 46
%N 2
%R doi:10.14214/sf.441
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/441
%X In this work, we assessed the factors affecting wind and snow damage of  individual trees in a small management unit in western Finland. This was  done based on inventoried damage and observed wind speeds and snow  loading in storms Pyry and Janika in 2001 and Mielikki in 2002 together  with mechanistic model. First, we studied which factors explain the  observed damage in individual trees. Secondly, we studied how well the  mechanistic  model (HWIND) could predict the wind speed needed to uproot  individual trees at the margins of permanent upwind edges. We found  that Pyry storm caused 70% and Janika and Mielikki 18 and 12% of   observed damage. In Janika storm, all trees uprooted. In other storms,  both uprooting and stem breakage occurred. Scots pine suffered the most  damage. Recently thinned stands on the upwind edges of open areas  suffered the most damage. But, damage occurred also on soils with  relatively shallow anchorage. HWIND predicted correctly damage for 69%  of all uprooted trees. No-uprooting was correctly predicted for 45 and  19% of standing trees (all Scots pines), which were measured within and  at the immediate upwind edge of same stands. HWIND model needs further  validation at the permanent edges and/or on soils with shallow rooting  to improve its prediction accuracy in such conditions.