The bent junipers, and what they say about the wind
El Sabinar in El Hierro is one of the most recognisable images in the Canaries: twisted trees lying almost parallel to the ground, trunks turned in on themselves. They are not diseased and nothing happened to them. This is the shape a tree takes after centuries of growing against the wind.
What a juniper is and what the wind does to it
The Canary juniper is a tough tree that tolerates poor soils and dryness. In this part of the island — a high plateau exposed to the west — it grows with the trade wind hitting it constantly and from the same direction.
The result is not that the wind knocks it over at once: it is that the tree grows asymmetrically over decades. Windward shoots dry out and leeward ones prosper, so the crown advances to wherever the wind lets it grow, and the trunk twists to follow.
That means the shape of each tree is a record of the prevailing wind direction. It is a living anemometer, and it has been there longer than any measurement.
Why that is interesting and not merely pretty
Because it explains at a stroke how all the island’s vegetation works. The same wind that bends the junipers is the one that:
- Pushes the fog that feeds the laurel forest on the northern flank.
- Leaves the south sheltered and produces the Mar de las Calmas.
- Forces crops to seek shelter, with walls and hollows, as in Lanzarote.
An island is better understood through its wind than through its map, and El Sabinar is where you see that without anyone having to explain it.
The practical part
- It is an exposed place. It is windy, and that is why the trees are like that: windbreak.
- The road is mountainous with narrow sections.
- You go to look, not to touch. These are long-lived, protected specimens: do not climb them or cut branches.
- Afternoon light gives the photograph, because it draws the silhouette against the sky.
And something almost nobody notices
If you look at the orientation of all the trees, they point the same way. It is not a quirk of the terrain: they have all been sculpted by the same wind, and that is what makes the whole place look deliberate.
Frequently asked questions
›Why are the trees at El Sabinar bent over?
Because they grow against a constant wind from the same direction over decades. Windward shoots dry out and leeward ones prosper, so the crown advances where the wind allows and the trunk twists to follow.
›Are they diseased or damaged?
No. It is the normal shape of a tree exposed to constant unidirectional wind. In fact their shape is a record of the prevailing wind direction: they work as a living anemometer.
›Can you touch or climb the junipers?
No. They are long-lived, protected specimens: you visit to look and photograph. Do not climb them or cut branches. The best light is the afternoon, which draws their silhouette against the sky.