mysterious missing forest in new jersey

Maybe some kind of freaky weapons testing that was going on back then, nuclear bombs, etc?

Whoever said the answer would probably be in a book at the library was right.

I just read about this exact incident in a storm chasing handbook. These "storms" have a specific name that I cannot recall....trying to find it now. They are very under studied from what I remember, but it has happened a few times in the US.

So, nothing weird, just a kind of like straight line winds. I keep wanting to say derechos but that is NOT it. Off to find the name....


ETA:
Okay, I guess it IS called a derecho but it is also called a blow down, or the name I was looking for, a Pakwash.

Here is an example.


My kindle is currently broken after having it for only one month or I would tell you exactly what it had to say.