# The Hills Have Lungs (DD-321)

> In very strong winds, trees sway hard enough that their shallow root plates lift and drop, raising and lowering the soil and moss on top of them. On video the forest floor seems to breathe. The motion is a sign of stress that can end in a tree being uprooted. The footage shows a forest floor heaving during a windstorm.

- Department: Nature
- First published: 2024-09-10
- Last updated: 2024-09-10
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-hills-have-lungs/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## Quick facts

- **DD-321-F01**: Strong winds rock the trees. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Wind))_
- **DD-321-F02**: Root plates lift and drop. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (Root plates))_

## Write-up

In strong winds, a forest floor can rise and fall like a chest. Swaying trees lever their roots and the soil above them.

1. **Wind**: Strong winds rock the trees.
2. **Root plates**: Root plates lift and drop.
3. **Breathing**: The ground seems to breathe.
4. **Windthrow**: It can end in uprooting.
5. **Footage**: The footage is a windstorm.

## Related case files

- [Tree Scaling (DD-650)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/tree-scaling/): I linked more on trees

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: None needed.

## Video: The Hills Have Lungs: In Strong Winds, a Forest Floor Can Rise and Fall Like a Chest

- Duration: 19.6 s · Published: 2024-09-10
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/C_uRN9rurji.mp4

### Transcript

In extreme wind conditions, powerful gusts can lift and shift the ground around tree roots, creating an eerie visual effect where the earth seems to rise and fall as if it's breathing. This happens because the wind exerts such force on the trees that their roots are pulled upward, displacing the soil around them. The trees bend and sway, and as they do, the ground around them lifts and settles back down. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: What makes the ground move?**  
A: Wind on the trees. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Wind) · Wikipedia: Windthrow)_

**Q: What lifts the soil?**  
A: Shallow roots. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Root plates) · Wikipedia: Windthrow)_

**Q: What can this end in?**  
A: Windthrow. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Breathing) · Wikipedia: Windthrow)_

**Q: What does it look like?**  
A: Rising and falling. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Windthrow) · Wikipedia: Windthrow)_

**Q: What weather causes it?**  
A: Storms. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Footage) · Wikipedia: Windthrow)_

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Windthrow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windthrow)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "The Hills Have Lungs." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-321, last updated Sep 10, 2024. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-hills-have-lungs/