Chapter Six - The effect of icing events on the death and regeneration of North American trees

Abstract

Literature dating back to the early 20th century reveals a long-standing interest in the effects of freezing precipitation on forests. Early scientific studies of significant icing events were descriptive in nature, but through time, researchers have worked toward developing a better understanding of how loads interact with tree and forest characteristics to produce observed patterns of ice storm severity. In this chapter, a biomechanical interpretation of branch breakage as a function of ice thickness, wind speed, and branch length is introduced. We also discuss other factors that affect the likelihood of branch breakage resulting from ice loading in a forest canopy. A review of the empirical literature on tree damage due to ice follows, and we close by discussing recent experimental approaches to understanding icing impacts on forests that employ simulated icing.