White Pine stick pulled Debris of the Burkhardt tornado.

Here is an interesting story. While Dirk and I were looking at the damage from the Burkhardt area tornado, I found a stick that I decided to take home for memory. As soon as we believed that it very well could have been a tornado which struck that area, I wanted a souvenir. After it was confirmed it was an actual tornado, I looked at the stick with different feelings, I thought about what this stick went though and had respect for what mother nature can really do in just seconds of time.

A Closer Look

Photo showing how the ends appears to have been sand blasted which dulled and smoothed it down.

Since I know quite a bit about plants and trees, I already knew that this stick is from a White Pine Tree. This stick is from the area where the actual tornado went though. and as soon as I found out it was a confirmed tornado which caused the damage, I started looking closer at it for signs.

I know that this definitely was a still living branch at the time it was broken off, The stick still smells and is sticky from pine sap, and you can tell it is freshly broken. The branch looked just as you see it here when I found it. It’s broken in too places and the bark is stripped off all of the stick expect one small piece remaining on one side which I believe was the most protected from the most violent winds, on the opposite side of the branch, I can see indents in the stick where it looks like something like dirt and rocks impacted the one side, This is the side I believe got the brunt of the wind. Another thing me and my dad noticed is the ends of the branches have been dulled down, (photo above ) We believe that this stick was sand blasted which is why the ends have been dulled

So this is my best speculation on what happened to this tree branch it may have not been what happened, but this is what I believe what happened, But one thing is for sure, This branch went though a lot. thankfully no injuries were reported in this tornado.