Beech and Yew Trees (Dropping)

[HOUGHTON PIG]

I practice a few skills in a wood local to me. I am thinking of staying the night over christmas. My favourite site has a lot of Old Beech and Yew. I know some trees have a habit of dropping branches and I can see some huge ones, which have fallen.

Basically any advise on camping in such woodland would be appreciated. Anyone experienced falling branch problems.

 

[gregorach]

Beech are notorious for dropping limbs. Can't say I've ever heard of it with yew though.

 

[Grooveski]

The yew on Inchlonaig drop limbs all over the place, most common is for the trunk to split at the base and the whole limb swings over from vertical to horizontal. Some of them heal and continue to grow.
It's quite unusual to see dropped branches separate from the tree.
Not sure what species they are. They don't have that classic Irish Yew look of heading up at any cost, they're more scrub like(big though), gnarly and twisted.

Funnily enough, the oak on Inchcailloch(another Loch Lomond island) are the ones that worry me. They drop seriously large limbs quite frequently judging by the number of them lying around.

 

[John Fenna]

I have seen falen limbs from many trees over my 30 plus years of being a pro outdoorsman and country dweller.
I have never seen one fall except in high winds - and that was a pine tree!
I have heard some fall, ash and oak, come round a lane and found that a beech branch has fallen in the night...but I have never seen one fall...
I think the odds of your being under a falling branch (other than in a wood in a severe gale) when you are asleep are so wild as to be ignorable...just like winning the lottery if you only play once a year....
But if you get squashed remember - someone has to win the lottery!

 

[gregorach]

Hey, it's more likely than getting hit by a meteorite...

 

[robin wood]

I think the odds of your being under a falling branch (other than in a wood in a severe gale) when you are asleep are so wild as to be ignorable...just like winning the lottery if you only play once a year....

I started working oin woodland work after the "87 storm and always wanted to see a tree blow over, I have spent many an evening in high winds watching and waiting and never seen it. In the "91 gale I was wandering around the last trees that survived 87 on a very exposed hilltop and a couple upended within 5 minutes of me passing the spot. As John says you would have to try very very hard and be very lucky to see one drop.

Yew incidentally is great for keeping the rain off. We knew where all the yews were in the woods and if it came onto rain under a yew was choice spot for lunch. It can be bone dry under a yew after an hours torrential downpoor.

 

[sirex]

seen a limb fall off an oak tree.... but it was in the middle of the town ;-/ -- landed on a car too, fortunatly noone in it, cos the car came off second best.

 

[Tadpole]

My wife was nearly hit by a limb off a beech tree, but as John rightly said it was a "hung up" limb from a storm in the night, the next days winds dropped it with in a few feet of where she was walking/standing.
We've lived next to the park where it happened for 13 years, and this was the first time we've seen/heard of it happening

 

[addo]

Whatever species check for obvious signs of decay and fungal activity, if you find some move on. Oak suffer from summer branch drop and this involves shedding perfectly healthy limbs in the dryer months.
Large Beech suffer from everything so best to stay away if windy.
Other than that just look up for deadwood hanging or attached and make safe if possible and use for your fire, or move on.
But as others have said the chances of getting hurt are very low, except sometimes in high winds.

 

[crazydave]

had one fall in the spot where the week before I had hung a chute which was interesting as it was much windier the week before and it would have landed on a chute full of scouts and a roaring fire.

just make sure you check the tree in daylight and monitor the wind, if in doubt then chuck a line over it and see how strong it is.

 

[bushcraftbob]

I have noticed a lot of fallen silver birch in the wood where i play, it does make you worry a bit sometimes when your under yer tarp..

 

[troy ap De skog]

I've only ever seen a Yew shed its limb once, in a storm 2 years ago, but yew generaly keeps hold of its dead limbs , and they stay there even when you climb them..
but if you have anceant yews like i do, look on the ground around it if there is none on the ground, and little dead (with no bark) in the tree its highly doubtfull any will fall, as yew is famous for "dead" limbs with the bark still present sprouting back to life after years..

 

[robin wood]

Forgot to mention, be realy realy careful on your way to the wood, chances are you are at 1000 times more risk on the road than in the wood.

 

[HOUGHTON PIG]

Forgot to mention, be realy realy careful on your way to the wood, chances are you are at 1000 times more risk on the road than in the wood.

especially if my girlfriend is driving!!!

Cheers for the responses. I wasn't too worried, its just you hear a few stories about various incidents, its nice to get some input from people who really know what they're talking about.

Nick

 

[hen]

In Savernake we heard what sounded like a clap of thunder. Walked round the track a bit and found that half a beech tree had split open.

By far the most scary is when we were bivvying in the crook of a beech and oak. Having our cup of hot and a large (not huge, but big enough) limb fell right behind my tarp. Pooed my pants.

 

[Nagual]

In Savernake we heard what sounded like a clap of thunder. Walked round the track a bit and found that half a beech tree had split open.

By far the most scary is when we were bivvying in the crook of a beech and oak. Having our cup of hot and a large (not huge, but big enough) limb fell right behind my tarp. Pooed my pants.

I bet you did.


Luckily I've never had do worry about things like that, not done much camping in woodland like that, only in Scots Pine areas... Maybe this weekend down in Knightly Park on a course though... Eeeek


Nag.

 

[Mike Ameling]

Simplest advice - don't camp under any branches. Then there is no worry.

The branches that I have seen blown down came down during high winds or heavy wet snow.

Altho, a month ago one of the big pine trees across the valley/creek had the top snap off. But it had been hit by lightning last spring, and had a big chunk zapped off where it snapped. So the top 20 feet of so snapped off - and it was a bit breezy that day. It's one of the three big pines the eagles like to roost/nest in. So now they have a better and more accessible perch. And one of their young must have just gotten kicked out. I've been hearing him calling for the last couple days.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands