Trees in areas prone to hurricanes have strong ability to survive even after severe damage: Even though the vast majority of trees studied in Dominica -- 89% -- were damaged during Hurricane Maria, only 10 percent were immediately killed sciencedaily.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sciencedaily.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The island of Dominica took a direct hit from Category 5 Hurricane Maria. Nine months afterward, Clemson University researchers found that while 89% percent of trees located in nine previously documented forest stands were damaged, but only 10 percent had immediately died. The most common damage was stem snapping and major branch damage. The damage with the highest rates of mortality were uprooting and being crushed by a neighboring tree. Large individual trees and species with lower wood density were susceptible to snapping, uprooting and mortality. Those on steeper slopes were more prone to being crushed by neighboring trees.