Why are so many large trees falling over (southern maryland area) seems to be more than normal.?

Question

seems more and more of our large trees have been falling over roots just pulling up out of the ground. I do not understand why they are doing this. what has changed to make this happen. I am in the southern part of Maryland been here all my life. What has changed that would make them toppel over so easy.

Answer 1

In some places (not Maryland) this is happening quite a lot. The permenantly frozen ground in which the trees are rooted (permafrost) has begun melting, the trees are no longer anchored firmly to the ground and begin leaning at random angles - it's a strange sight to see and the term 'drunken trees' is sometimes used to describe the effect.

Can't comment specifically on Maryland but a couple of common reasons for trees falling over include erosion of the soil and insect infestation.

There are some parts of the US where trees are affected by wood boring insects killing off the trees, previously the insects were confined to other areas but are now spreading further afield.

If the roots are coming out of the ground it suggests something other than insect nfestation. If there's been felling in the area, even on a small scale, this can leave other trees more exposed to the wind. If a tree has matured in a sheltered location it will have a shallow root system, if a neighbouring tree is felled it's not uncommon for the surrounding ones to fall with the next strong wind. If that's not the cause then it suggests something is killing off the roots or these a problem with soil erosion.

Answer 2

Obviously they are getting too big for the soil to support them anymore. They probably all sproutred about the same time.