Hurricanes, tornados, and snow and ice storms cause damage to trees and forests. On August 19, 1788 a hurricane blew down “large quantities of timber in the woods,” as well as fences and a few buildings in Cornwall.

The Great Hurricane of 1938 did extensive damage to the state’s trees and forests. The damage was largely on the shore line and east of the Connecticut River, flattening almost 55,000 acres of forest. In Cornwall, some of the Cathedral Pines trees, determined to be about 250 years old, were felled by the hurricane.