Using a Tree Well for Survival
BY Herschel Smith
1 month ago
A tree well is basically the space under the shadow of the branches of a tree where you will be protected (at least somewhat) from the elements. Tree well shelters are especially great if you can find trees with low-hanging branches, like pines and spruces, that can help block the wind while under them. While tree well shelters can work any time of year, they are particularly useful in winter when the branches of evergreen trees catch and hold a lot of snow, creating a depression underneath the tree with less snow than the surrounding area. While tree wells can be dangerous, especially if you fall into one while skiing, they can also make warm winter shelters that require less work than building a snow mound.
Rather than use the stock photo they include, I’ll include my own from a hiking trip into the Tetons during winter/early spring.
The thought did occur to me that with a tarp or poncho, this would be a sufficient survival shelter. But I would emphasize the danger. I fell into one and almost didn’t make it out.
On December 16, 2024 at 11:40 pm, Dan said:
Can’t recommend tree wells for shelter. Too dangerous. Many a person has died in one because once in they couldn’t get out.
On December 17, 2024 at 7:25 am, jrg said:
I’m not a resident where snowfall accumulates (seep south Texas). Would a safety line tied to adjacent tree trunk help with extricating yourself ?
On December 20, 2024 at 12:37 am, The Wretched Dog said:
Jack London’s 1908 short story “To Build a Fire” involves using a tree-well in Alaska. It didn’t end well.
“He should not have built the fire under the spruce tree. He should have built it in the open. … High up in the tree one bough capsized its load of snow. This fell on the boughs beneath, capsizing them. This process continued, spreading out and involving the whole tree. It grew like an avalanche, and it descended without warning upon the man and the fire, and the fire was blotted out! Where it had burned was a mantle of fresh and disordered snow.”