Basic safety and the Residual Safety Factor

The ratio of the load bearing capacity of the defect-free stem and the load estimated at the threshold wind event provides what is referred to as the basic safety factor. A basic safety factor of 1.0 (or 100%) means that the tree can just about withstand the loads expected at the threshold wind event with a defect-free cross-section, but the tree has no safety margin; Even a minor defect could lead to failure