Hazard Trees

One thing about working in dead forests is that there is a high risk of being struck by a falling tree.  All those millions of beetle killed trees that you've been hearing about for the past decade are going to fall down.  In fact, they are falling as I write.  (Do they fall soundlessly?)  Mostly they fall harmlessly, but they can pose a hazard to those who are working among them.  There are, of course, certain things that make it worse—wind, for example—but they can fall at any time, and without warning.

I made the photo of the Elk River, above, on a calm morning at 9:21:43 am.  I made the photo of the Elk River, below, on the same calm morning at 9:23:09 am.  In the 86 seconds between images, a tree fell—on the other river bank, fortunately—into my picture.  It was a dead lodgepole pine, and you can see it in the image below (framed in yellow).  It doesn't look very big, but if it hit you, it would likely be fatal.  The other thing to keep in mind is that the remaining live trees in the forest are almost never wind-firm, and that they will almost always blow-down, too.  (See, the top picture.)  So, whether the tree is live or dead, it presents a hazard to anyone in the forest.  Better that y'all just stay home until this whole issue, ahem, blows over.