Basic density (i.e oven dry weight/water swollen volume) was calculated for blocks of wood containing approximately 5 growth rings. Working from the bark inwards, these blocks represented the wood produced between 1990 and 1995, 1985 and 1989, 1980 and 1984 etc.
The data reveals a general trend of increasaing density from pith (at the left of the figure) to bark (at the right hand side). The different coloured bars represent the mean values for trees of each damage type.
The overall average values are very similar and not significantly different. However, what is interestinbg is the data for the outer most wood (from 1985 to 1995). This wood is located in the outer part of the tree, and will be subjected to the greatest loads when the stem is bent by the wind. The strength of this wood is therefore likely to be much more important than the strength of the wood in the centre of the tree where bending stresses are smaller.
It can be seen that the snapped trees have an avrerage density slightly greater than either the standing or the overturned trees. This is the opposite trend to that found in the trees from Grizedale forest.
This patternt also reflects the general pattern of stem shape. It appears that stem breakage is associated with "skinny" trees at this site, but these trees also tend to have high density, and therefore presumably strong wood. Since this is the opposite pattern to Grizedale forest, it appears that neither strategy is guaranteed to prevent stem breakage.