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As thread title really. If you don't have time to work out which way is perpendicular to the bough would you jump towards the trunk or away from it?
Luckily in my case other branches slowed its progress and so I could easily get out of the way but I would like to know a rule of thumb as I'm often walking the dog in old woodland.
I doubt you have time to consciously react - any movement is surely just a reflex. But now that you ask, obviously, the end closest to the trunk is going to be thicker and do more damage if it hits you, but of all the fallen branches I recall the end that started at the trunk usually ends up either hung up on neighbouring branches or not touching the trunk it originated from so you might be better getting as close to the trunk as possible.
The quickest way out would be to keep travelling in the direction you are already travelling, assuming you're already directly underneath it. If you're stationary, I dunno, but I'd probably choose perpendicular to the branch.
Next to the trunk if poss. A bough won't shear instantly and fall down in the same position/form that it was pre-break. The trunk end being thicker will break slower or not at all, and so the far end will be swinging down with quite some leverage.
Had this 35 years ago on a dog walk in a forest in a storm (18 years old and bombproof, obvs) and the end of the broken bough impaled into the soft earth about 18 inches (0.3 Ariana Grandes, see other thread). This happened about 5 feet (0.061 Eiffels) away from me.
The direction you can move in fastest, and furthest, so probably forwards.
Beech or Scots Pine? They are the most common to break.
(Beech is nicknamed 'the widowmaker' for this reason, Scots pine tends to be damaged in high wind or (more usually) high snow loading and enables a much larger trunk to bough ratio, to survive strong storms.
Had to Google what a bough is. Never heard that word before.
@mjsmke wow, never heard the nursery rhyme rock a bye baby? 'When the bough breaks'... I'd go towards the trunk...
I missed Cougars joke the first time reading and Googled what part of a branch is the cradle!
Beech or Scots Pine?
It's part of a beautiful beech hanger. Good to know!
Had to Google what a bough is.
To be frank, so did I. Bloody English spellings with multiple pronunciations!
Just get down on your knees and pray.
Bough down and worship.
Just tense up and hope your manly physique causes the bough to explode on impact. Or more likely bounce off your wobbly self. In reality I should imagine that there is no time to make a decision as to which way to go and how it falls will depend on what it hits on the way down.
<p style="text-align: left;">I've had this during a wild gale. At work in a garden I put my gloves on the ground whilst drinking a cup of tea. Something caught my attention and I looked up to see the sky full of tree. It was the entire top of a chestnut that had sheered off. Myself and my co-worker legged it in opposite directions and escaped. One of my gloves was speared about a foot into the ground.</p>
It was the lads first day. He'd been blown up and shot in Iraq. He was looking for a safer career. We laughed hard about that!
The moment I saw the thread title, my inner monologue went "Down will come baby, cradle and all", so my brain was clearly in exactly the same place as @cougar. Therefore the morally responsible thing to do would be to try and catch the baby, irrespective of the risk to oneself.
Now I’m thinking smooth backwards step to avoid the bough, quick sideways shuffle to narrowly miss death by cradle and finally a diagonally forwards motion to catch the baby.
Lots of variables, but I think my instinct would be the opposite side of the trunk or quickest way out. In reality I think I probably look first and then move, but is all done so quick without the thought process.
Long dry periods increases the chances of summer limb loss as trees manage their water requirements.
Therefore the morally responsible thing to do would be to try and catch the baby, irrespective of the risk to oneself.
Oh yeah, I hadn't thought of that. Whoops. 😁
Joking aside though, until the mention of the dog I genuinely thought the question posed was about the OP climbing trees and was quite perplexed.
Had to Google what a bough is. Never heard that word before.
"No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows."
What is life, eh..
If I hear the slightest crack I’m outta there
If it’s beech, then in a particularly bad gale, it’s not uncommon for the entire tree to topple over, as beech have a very shallow root system, often the roots are exposed and covering the surface out beyond the actual canopy. Otherwise they can often split in two if the trunk has grown two main stems - West Woods near Marlborough has quite a few beech that have done that.
I personally am going to stand perfectly still, possibly getting as far as saying "wu", and if it turns out that I should have jumped in any direction, too bad, it's going to land on me.
Left.
“Jump up, jump up, jump around”…