People who live in tornado-prone areas are familiar with the astounding force of these storms. Tornadoes can lift and carry entire buildings for blocks, they can drill blades of grass into telephone poles and they can wreak havoc on trees. The high winds and blowing debris break branches, strip bark off tree trunks and uproot entire trees. Tornadoes damage trees through:   Branches  - broken, twisted, cracked        branches   Trunk  - broken, twisted, cracked or         bent trunks, stripped bark   Roots  - root failure, erosion   Tree decline The links above to "branches," "trunk," "roots" and "tree decline" will take you to additional information and photos to identify specific damage to your tree. The branches of this tree failed in all different directions from circling, tornadic winds in excess of 200 miles per hour 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: