2/12/2024 0 Comments Cool lightning strike scar![]() When lightning scars extend into the woody tissues of the tree, future decay and the tree’s structural integrity will be a concern. Keith Douce, University of Georgia, )įigure 4. Narrower and shallower scars can be more survivable for trees. Cultural practices to help reduce tree stress.įigure 3.Preventative treatments for opportunistic pests. ![]() Immediate assessment of the tree to determine the extent of damage and likelihood of survival.We advise managing lightning-struck trees with a multifaceted approach. While you wait, preventative treatments are an option to ward off opportunistic insects, which can cause further damage. Before removing or even pruning the tree, wait several weeks for the damage to become evident. Managing lightning damage is a waiting game, allowing outward signs of interior damage to become visible in the crown. In these cases, trees might appear to die suddenly as leaves wilt and turn brown days after the event. There can also be invisible damage as the super-heated charge disrupts functions in larger portions of the trunk or roots. The immediate damage within trees are dead tissues along the path of the lightning strike and exposure of interior woody tissues to decay and insect attacks. Lightning follows the best conductor within trees, possibly through the sap conducting phloem just under the bark or deeper within the water- conducting woody xylem.ĭamage can vary from bark being blown out along a narrow strip (figure 3), exposing the interior wood, to more extreme cases (figure 4), debarking trees completely or causing deep cracks (figure 5). It can travel from the top of the tree to its roots, skip down through branches, or only affect a portion of a trunk or branch. Lightning can strike a tree once or multiple times. In trees, these extreme temperatures boil water and sap generating steam and causing bark and wood fibers to explode. Lightning carries up to 100 million volts and reaches temperatures of 50,000 degrees F (27,760 degrees Celcius) or five times the temperature of the sun. What Damage Does Lightning Cause to Trees? It is not uncommon to see multiple lightning-struck trees within small geographic areas. ![]() It is also important to consider site histories, as some areas are naturally more prone to lightning strikes than others. The tallest trees-single specimens in open fields or trees on hilltops-have the greatest potential for strikes. Trees are often the tallest structures and decent conductors, so they are natural lightning rods. Wood is generally not a good conductor however, the moisture in trees, in the form of water and sap, attracts lightning. Lightning follows the path of least electrical resistance through the best conductor available. The tallest objects will have the greatest probability of being struck. Lightning strikes occur when negative charges reach down from the base of storm clouds and a swell of positive charges comes up from the ground. When the two paths meet, an electrical connection is made, and a rapid exchange of charges occurs, which generates light and heat, called lightning.įigure 2. ![]() Streamers are most prevalent on the tallest geographic features including mountains, buildings, boats, and trees. From the ground, there is a swell of positive charges drawn upward by the negative charges in chains called streamers (figure 2). Lightning strikes occur when negative charges reach down from the base of storm clouds in long chains called stepped leaders. All of Alabama has an active thunderstorm season, but southern counties have more lightning strikes than northern counties (figure 1). It is estimated that 6 percent of lightning strikes hit trees, or approximately 60,000 trees annually in the state. Alabama has an estimated 202 thunder days with nearly 1 million cloud-to-ground strikes. The average thunderstorm generates one lightning strike every 30 seconds during a 50-minute period. This document outlines the damage lightning causes to trees, when to remove trees, and management practices to reduce secondary pests and diseases caused by lightning strikes. For these reasons, it is natural to protect and preserve lightning-struck trees. Urban trees provide numerous benefits ranging from increasing property values, shading, screening neighbors, and providing wildlife habitat to simply enhancing neighborhood beauty. Most lightning strikes will likely occur in rural forests some will happen in urban areas. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. South and central Alabama have the greatest number of storms per year. Average number of thunderstorms per year.
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