Anyone come up with a plausible explanation for the tree top damage?

[PNWexplorer]

I've seen several examples online of smaller trees seemingly broken and twisted between 7' and 10' in the air.  Some are broken over and some are obviously twisted.  They are seemingly random with no other trees in the area similarly affected.

 

BF researchers say they are a physical sign that Bigfoot is in the area and probably marking territory.

 

Have there been any plausible explanations presented for such damage that are nature caused?

 

I found my first such tree the other day while camping in the Idaho wilderness and I can't figure out any logical explanation for the damage.  Conceivably, a large bear could reach that high, but the twisting action to break the tree was strange.  I thought I took good pictures of the damage, but when I got home, they look more like just broken trees than obviously twisted trees at a height of 8'.  The trees did border a berry patch.

 

 

[gigantor]

Snow load?

[BlobSquatch]

[BC witness]

How deep does the snow get in the winter in that area? Sled riders tearing along on top of 8' of snow could easily tear up the tops of trees that stick up through the snow pack. It happens regularly in one of the areas that I hunt, up at 6,000 ft elevation.

Edited August 12, 2020 by BC witness

[PNWexplorer]

Snow level is only a few feet at most and doesn't explain the twisting.  The large tree is twisted in two different directions, which would not explain getting hit by a snowmobile.

[gigantor]

1 hour ago, PNWexplorer said:

Snow level is only a few feet at most and doesn't explain the twisting.

 

Interesting. Any sign?

[wiiawiwb]

You mentioned that one of the branches was twisted. How fresh was the damage? Was the sapwood/heartwood light in color indicating a fresh twist?

 

Three years ago, two friends and I went out sasquatching. At night's end, we were back in camp and sitting around a fire. Within 100' we heard a loud tree-branch "noise" causing all of us to jump from our seats. None of us had a flashlight at the ready so it was a half minute before we could get light on the area. We walked over and found an apple-tree branch twisted, not broken, at the 7' level and the sapwood was light in color. I tried to twist the already-twisted branch and couldn't move it at all.  

 

We discussed the tree-branch noise and it was not a clean, quick snapping sound. It was definitely a twisting sound where you hear a constant crackling of something getting tighter and tighter.  I think there's a lot to be learned from twisted branches.

 

I've never developed an interest in tree formations but a tree toppling over or a branch being twisted is of significant interest to me.

[NCBFr]

Cannot explain wiiawb (any hint on what this handle means) experience but a twisted tree broken off 6 feet off the ground can be explained.  Imagine a big wind tearing through the canopy creating a pushing force on the top of the tree.  You would think at some point it would just push it over but what if the tree had deep well anchored roots in a dry ground.  If he force is strong enough something will eventually give.  If it is not the ground then it will be the trees flex point which would explain the break 5-10 ft off the ground.  Now imagine if the flex point, which is getting the brunt of the force, has an uneven density or perhaps an old limb so it is not evenly strong.  The weaker side would break first and the tree would twist in to the break creating a twisted tree broken 6-10 ft off the ground. 

[NorthWind]

We find a lot of breaks, too. Most of the time, we can attribute it to snow load, or weak trees, or even humans. Then there are some that we find that have been twisted around several times. In the case of the one below, the twist / break was then shoved back into the ground. Both of these were older, but very odd indeed. 

[MIB]

Some of the twists occur at locations where the tree was already damaged and susceptible to further damage.    You have to look pretty close to see how old the components of what seems to be a single twist might be.  

 

Some are snow load.  Look particularly hard at those where a small tree is in an opening on a sidehill.   I had 2 that had me going for a while because there was a sharp twist and break about 5-1/2 to 6 feet above the ground.   I realized eventually what I was looking at.   The snow there builds up that deep and more.   When we get a short warm spell in winter, the top layer of snow will melt during the day and re-freeze to a sheet of ice at night.   After a few days that layer of ice over the snow can be a half inch thick or more.    Then more snow comes along.    These are avalanche conditions, some big, some small.    I am pretty sure that the 2 trees I studied were clinched over at the level of the ice layer when the additional snow on the ice broke loose and slid downhill.   There was a surprising amount of twisting and tearing of the bark in a twisted pattern.   I think the give-away there is that there are big avalanche chutes off to the side, uphill and downhill, so the mechanism occurs in that location.

 

Another culprit is elk.   A friend brought pictures of some "twists" and "breaks" he found.    When I blew up one of the pictures it was very clear that there were antler gouges near the break point.   That big ol' bull elk just pushed 'til something snapped, then moved on to the next tree creating a line of breaks.   He swore it couldn't be, no elk in that area, but when I went back up there, I found elk "sign" which clinched it for me.  

 

That does not mean that there are no bigfoot twists or tree breaks, it just means I have never found one I couldn't explain otherwise.    I'm fairly sure I was not dismissing legitimate evidence, if it were bigfoot I'd be happy to acknowledge it.  I suspect it may be like many other bigfoot behaviors, there are strong regional tendencies to do specific things and not do others.   I don't think it happens here or if it does, it's really really rare.

 

MIB

[wiiawiwb]

In my case, the branch was twisted that night while I, and two friends, were there.  It was not a windy night.

[PNWexplorer]

Twisting damage was not fresh; at least a couple of months old and there was no sign of BF in the area.  They were the only trees in the area that had damage and next to a large berry patch.  So it makes sense that if one believes such damage is the result of Bigfoot marking territory then what I observed is inline with that belief.

[NatFoot]

The nesting site was something not easily explainable. Tree breaks don't really do anything for me.

 

I get it if you want to take pics because they are cool and could be marking territory, but putting a lot of energy in finding and then defending them online seems like a big waste of physical and mental energy.

 

There's no way to know.

[Twist]

Generally speaking, if an event can be explained by natural means then that is what I’ll chalk it up to. If BF is purported to be seen doing such activity then I move it into the realm of possible BF activity.    

[norseman]

My bet would be Moose. Taller stuff they will push over and straddle to eat the top. I see it often and have posted pictures. This is the rule for leafy deciduous trees.

 

Dead snags I never pay attention to.

 

Younger evergreen trees with the tops twisted out of them make me sit up and take notice. To my knowledge Moose don’t go after them to eat. Maybe during the rut.