High winds cause numerous types of damage to trees, with the storm potentially affecting all parts of the tree. The important factors in wind damage are the force of the wind and the direction of the wind. If you know the direction of the wind, you can focus your investigation of the tree on the windward (the side the wind blew against) and leeward (the side opposite of the wind) sides of the tree. High winds damage trees through:   Branches  - broken, twisted, cracked        branches   Trunk  - broken, twisted, cracked or         bent trunks   Roots  - root failure, erosion The links above to "branches," "trunk" and "roots" will take you to additional information and photos to identify specific damage to your tree. This older tree was twisted and cracked by high winds, ultimately causing the stem to disintegrate under the weight of the crown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1999 Courtesy of The Tree Bank Foundation Determining the extent of damage will take you through the process of evaluating the damage to your tree. Last Updated: