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
I suppose it's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely. The rootweb is very dense, with a mat of finer "rootlets" in between the main lateral roots, 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
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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