Author's Note: Bristlecone pine, aka krummholz (twisted wood), growing in a small "island" just below timberline at around 11,000 feet altitude in the Rocky Mountains.
At this severely windblown altitude, trees reproduce by vegetative layering on their lee sides, while dying back from wind damage on their windward sides. The way they lean as they grow is from the wind blowing so hard against them constantly.
Krummholz islands may actually move about 2 centimeters per year in response to the wind!
Bristlecones live to be thousands of years old.