Tom's correct, the issue is not "resonance" but rather what, if anything,
happens when you have a so-so conductor/insulator (a tree) in the near-field
and/or further out. Do the losses matter?
Performing a definitive set of experiments would be a serious undertaking.
I've fiddled around a bit but not much more than the tree conductivity work
mentioned earlier.
At this point I'm an agnostic: we really don't have good data. There are a
number of Vietnam era papers on trees as antennas and propagation through
jungle but most of that was at frequencies well above 160m.
Here's a challenge for experimenters that'll keep you busy and out of the
bars.
73, Rudy N6LF
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Topband Reflector
