High winds push the tree over completely, levering the entire root plate out of the soil. This damage is most common in shallow-rooted species, saturated soils, or newly exposed stand edges following a clearcut. Large patches of uprooted timber require specialized salvage logging and leave massive root wads that complicate site preparation.
Heard on the job
The soil was so saturated that the gale caused massive windthrow along the entire western edge of the cutblock.
Insider tip
When bucking windthrow, the root wad can violently sit back into its hole once the weight of the trunk is severed.
Also heard as
- blowdown
Do not mix it up with
- Windsnap: Windthrow means the tree is uprooted entirely, whereas windsnap means the roots hold but the trunk breaks.