Wind Statistics and Bending Moments on Pruned Colorado Spruce, 2023-2024

15,640 observations of wind statistics and wind-induced bending moments from nine Colorado spruce (Picea pungens) collected between July 2023 and January 2024. The data were gathered by Daniel Burcham as part of a pruning experiment to raise or thin crowns at severities between 0 and 40%. Each record contains 30-minute interval measurements of wind speeds, friction velocities, momentum fluxes, and bending moments.

Use Cases

• Modeling tree wind load response based on maximum and mean bending moment (MbMax, MbMean) data.
• Analyzing the effect of pruning type (raised vs. thinned) and severity (0-40%) on wind-induced stress.
• Correlating wind speed metrics (uMaxH, uMeanS) with resultant bending moments to understand aerodynamic forcing.
• Studying the relationship between friction velocity (uStarMean, uStarMax) and momentum flux (mMean, mMax) in a forest canopy setting.

Strengths

• 15,640 observations provide a substantial time-series record.
• Data covers a 7-month period (July 2023 to January 2024) across seasonal conditions.
• Includes 17 distinct variables measuring both environmental drivers (wind) and mechanical responses (bending moments).
• Experimental design with controlled pruning treatments (Type and Severity) allows for comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a specific experiment on nine trees of a single species (Colorado spruce) at one location, limiting generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Harvard Dataverse, author Daniel Burcham.

Collection Method

Sensor measurements collected from nine experimentally pruned Colorado spruce trees.

Time Range

July 2023 to January 2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05 01:41:55; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Location not specified; likely a single experimental site.