This type of wind damage snaps the main bole of the tree, leaving a stump and a shattered trunk section in the ground. It typically occurs in stands with dense canopies or among trees weakened by internal rot, where the root system holds firm but the stem fails under extreme bending stress. The resulting jagged breaks ruin the most valuable lower log and create hazardous, tension-loaded timber for felling crews.
Heard on the job
We've got heavy windsnap in unit four after that storm, so watch out for suspended tops and shattered stems.
Insider tip
Windsnapped stems are notoriously dangerous to buck because the wood fibers are often twisted and holding massive amounts of stored tension.
Also heard as
- stem breakage
- bole snap
Do not mix it up with
- Windthrow: Windsnap breaks the trunk above ground, while windthrow rips the entire root system out of the soil.