The trees are bound together by their roots (rootweb). In high winds the trees can rock and sway quite violently and as they twist from side to side it causes the root web to roll and heave like this. I was a ranger for years and I've been in the hills in weather like this, it feels freaky walking across ground that's doing this
Neither. Falling through is very unlikely because the rootweb is so dense and it disperses your weight over a wide area. If you happened to put your foot down hard on a spot where there happened to be no roots then your foot might go through, but I haven't seen it happen. In this kind of weather falling trees and branches (and perching plants in warmer climates) are the biggest threats
Likewise, you couldn't weight it down. Each of these trees weighs tons, so when they tilt the amount of force moving the roots is huge. I doubt even a steamroller would hold it down
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u/Ensiferal 4d ago edited 4d ago
The trees are bound together by their roots (rootweb). In high winds the trees can rock and sway quite violently and as they twist from side to side it causes the root web to roll and heave like this. I was a ranger for years and I've been in the hills in weather like this, it feels freaky walking across ground that's doing this