A Volunteer

Formula for Natural De-Selection:

1. copious amounts of rain. Being January in our neck of the woods is one of the wettest months of the year, expect ground saturation. Natural run off from uphill of our property floods the driveway every 5-10 years. Right on schedule this year.
2. a strong wind. We had several this winter. Clears the upper branches (widow makers) from the trees. Brings down the exposed, saturated root ball trees.
3. an exposed tall tree. You look at all the firs that are around, look sturdy, but the do bend in the wind. Touch your toes now... and over it goes.
4. they fall where they will. They never fall where it is easy to extract to wood. Never will you have a chain/cable long enough to reach into the woods to extract the whole tree.

Every time you see someone clearing a spot for a house/barn/development or selling the timber, watch the weather for lots of rain, plenty of sustained wind and watch the trees on the new periphery, which were once interior, become blow-down candidates within the first year.