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Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Evaluating Dryocosmus Kuriphilus-induced Damage on Castanea Sativa
Published on: August 30, 2018
Comment on "Critical wind speed at which trees break"
Axel Albrecht1, Eric Badel2, Vivien Bonnesoeur2,3
1Forest Research Institute Baden-Wuerttemberg, Wonnhaldestrasse 4, 79100 Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Virot et al. [E. Virot et al., Phys. Rev. E 93, 023001 (2016)10.1103/PhysRevE.93.023001] assert that the critical wind speed at which ⩾50% of all trees in a population break is ≈42 m/s, regardless of tree characteristics. We show that empirical data do not support this assertion, and that the assumptions underlying the theory used by Virot et al. are inconsistent with the biomechanics of trees.
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