Windstorms are among the most important natural disturbances in Northern Europe, where they cause extensive tree mortality, timber losses and long-lasting changes in forest structure. The consequences of wind damage, however, continue long after the storm has passed. A large-scale study by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland analysing more than 70,000 wind-damaged areas found that those forests remain vulnerable and may be affected by subsequent bark beetle or snow damage in the years to follow, depending on forest structure, climate, topography and species composition.