Throughout the United States, many serious environmental disturbances occur that affect how trees maintain their ability to live. One of the major disturbances that affects how trees grow is ice storms. Ice storms can be deadly to many trees, but even trees cannot be harmed because they become resistant to the ice. Almost every year there is an ice storm that hits parts of the northern and eastern United States, affecting not only the people who live in that county but also the population of tree species within a forest community. Over the years, scientists have studied the effects ice has on trees. Stand location, ice thickness, canopy structure, and tree wood thickness are just some of the reasons why some tree species can withstand the intensity of an ice storm. An ice storm can produce up to 2cm of ice on power lines, telephone poles and tree branches. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Many different scientific journals have been written explaining the effects of ice on different tree species. Alan Rebertus and fellow scientists studied storm damage in an old-growth hickory forest called Dark Hollow following an ice storm in northern Missouri on December 6 and 7, 1994, that produced 1.8 inches of freezing rain. that covered the trees. 27% of the 1386 live trees showed damage, 7% serious (Rebertus et al 1997). In 1993 scientists conducted a pre-storm survey in which 30 plots of 0.1 ha were established, spaced 80 meters apart (Rebertus et al 1997). They recorded the status of the trees, whether the tree was alive or dead, and the crown classes, whether a species was dominant, co-dominated, intermediate or suppressed. After two years, in 1995, a post-storm survey was conducted to test the sensitivity of trees following such an intense storm. The trees were grouped into groups 0, intact; 1, light; which was breakage of small limbs, 2, moderate; which was breakage of small limbs about 15 cm thick, 3, servere; which was breaking major limbs (Rebertus et al 1997). ANOVA was used to compare percent damage of all trees by topographic location, and linear regression analysis was used to examine how damage varied with the topographic site coefficient (Rebertus et al 1997). In scientific research they had concluded that basswood, American elm, sugar maple and northern red oak were the most susceptible. The least susceptible were Shagbark Hickory, Black Walnut, Easter Hophornbean and White Oak. Northern red oak and white oak were nearly ice-resistant. Trees in canopy position were more likely to be undamaged. Trees on lower slopes were more likely to be damaged than trees on higher slopes due to their location in the forest. John Bernard and his fellow researchers also studied the effects of an ice storm that occurred in western New York during March 3-4, 1991, which deposited 2 cm or more of ice over a 19,740 km square radius (Bernard et al 1993). The researchers agree with Rebertus and his fellow researchers that the effect of the storm depends on the angle of the slope. Bernard and his researchers have also collected information that also deals withthe elevation of the forestry community and with the wind to determine the most affected counties. They compared Monroe and Ontario counties to determine the severity of the storm from a highland and lowland perspective. The researchers sampled three 10 x 50 m plots in a wooded hedgerow and one 10 x 50 m plot on the edge of one of the mature woodlands (Bernard et al 1993). Bernard and his fellow researchers determined that an overturned tree would be classified as 100% damaged (Bernard et al 1993). Ultimately they collected information on 31 different tree species in 31 different quadrants, and measured the diameters of approximately 940 standing trees and 1285 felled trees and branches (Bernard et al 1993). During their research they determined that the average rate of tree damage was 20%, while the forest edge site along the forest field ecotone was the most damaged at 50% (Bernard et al 1993). The bottom forest of the Silver Maple, Elm-Ash, and Red Maple-Ash communities had lower than average canopy damage of 15% and 13% (Bernard et al 1993). When tree species were compared, the percentage of trees felled was related to slope angle, as was the percentage of canopy damage (Bernard et al 1993). Finally, after all the research, it was concluded that almost 60-70% of the trees were severely damaged. The south-facing slope was more likely to be damaged due to its location. The north-facing slope was exposed to the sun, which melted some of the ice. Lemon had also studied the effects of an ice storm in New York, but focused primarily on the forest ecology of ice storms. He studied how enamel storms affected not only tree branches but also the composition of the tree, such as where it is located, sun exposure, canopy position and supports. Lemon defined enamel as a transparent layer of ice formed by the freezing of water under cooling on the surface of objects (Lemon 1961). In his research the northern and eastern United States were hit the hardest. New York has suffered the most over the years, with over 12 enamel storms. Lemon estimated the damage from the enamel storm. He estimated that the breakage of the enamel is not simply a function of its weight but also the arrangement of the branches and the strength of the living wood have to do with the extent of the breakage (Lemon et al 1961). Lemon chooses trees that are relatively close in size and age to determine the tree's resistance to enamel. It ranks trees ranging from very susceptible to damage, moderate to damage, and resistant to damage. American elm, American basswood, butternut, eastern cottonwood, silver maple, and black cherry were highly susceptible to damage. White Ash, Shagbark, Spruce, and Yellow Birch were resistant to damage (Lemon 1961). Croxton, another scientist who studied the effects of ice storms, conducted a survey to determine the damage suffered by 979 trees of 52 different species during a January 1937 storm in Missouri and Illinois. As with Lemon, damage was classified as severe, moderate and light damage. The main factors that affected the trees the most were age, wood gravity, ice thickness and crown symmetry. During his survey salis babylonica, betula alba and betula lutea were 100% damaged. Although breakage is not necessarily fatal to trees if the wounds are properly treated, the effect, in some cases, is similar to that of heavy pruning (Croxton 1939). Many of the tree species are.