Comment on ``Critical wind speed at which trees break''

Comment on “Critical wind speed at which trees break”

Axel Albrecht, Eric Badel, Vivien Bonnesoeur, Yves Brunet, Thiéry Constant, Pauline Défossez, Emmanuel de Langre, Sylvain Dupont, Meriem Fournier, Barry Gardiner, Stephen J. Mitchell, John R. Moore, Bruno Moulia, Bruce C. Nicoll, Karl J. Niklas, Mart-Jan Schelhaas, Hans-Christof Spatz, and Frank W. Telewski

Phys. Rev. E 94, 067001 – Published 13 December 2016

Abstract

Virot et al. [E. Virot et al., Phys. Rev. E 93, 023001 (2016)] 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.

Received 23 March 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.94.067001

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Classical mechanics

General PhysicsFluid DynamicsCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Axel Albrecht¹, Eric Badel², Vivien Bonnesoeur^2,3, Yves Brunet⁴, Thiéry Constant³, Pauline Défossez⁴, Emmanuel de Langre⁵, Sylvain Dupont⁴, Meriem Fournier³, Barry Gardiner^4,6,*, Stephen J. Mitchell⁷, John R. Moore⁸, Bruno Moulia², Bruce C. Nicoll⁶, Karl J. Niklas⁹, Mart-Jan Schelhaas¹⁰, Hans-Christof Spatz¹¹, and Frank W. Telewski¹²

¹Forest Research Institute Baden-Wuerttemberg, Wonnhaldestrasse 4, 79100 Freiburg, Germany
²PIAF, INRA, Université Clermont Auvergne, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
³LERFoB, INRA, AgroParisTech, F-54000 Nancy, France
⁴ISPA, INRA, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, F-33140 Villenave D’Ornon, France
⁵Ladhyx, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France
⁶Forest Research, Northern Research Station, Roslin, EH25 9SY, Scotland, United Kingdom
⁷The University of British Columbia, 3041-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
⁸Scion, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua 3046, New Zealand
⁹Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
¹⁰Alterra, Wageningen UR, 6700 AA Wageningen, Netherlands
¹¹Institut für Biologie III, Universität Freiburg, Freiburg D-79104, Germany
¹²W. J. Beal Botanical Garden, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA

^*Corresponding author: barry.gardiner@inra.fr

Comments & Replies

Reply to “Comment on ‘Critical wind speed at which trees break’ ”

E. Virot, A. Ponomarenko, É. Dehandschoewercker, D. Quéré, and C. Clanet

Phys. Rev. E 94, 067002 (2016)

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Original Article

Critical wind speed at which trees break

E. Virot, A. Ponomarenko, É. Dehandschoewercker, D. Quéré, and C. Clanet

Phys. Rev. E 93, 023001 (2016)

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Vol. 94, Iss. 6 — December 2016

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