Protecting Your Trees From Lightning Strikes
Large mature trees add value to your property, but may be prone to damage from a lightning strike if they are taller than nearby trees, on a high point, or stand alone without other nearby trees. Protecting them from lightning strikes with a lightning protection system is a wise investment.
Lightning damage can mean the loss of a significant tree
Trees are standing vessels of water that act as grounding rods for lightning. If you own a large or tall tree that stands alone on a hill or out in the open, it is at a much greater risk of being struck by lightning. A medium-sized tree or trees surrounded by others growing in a forest are at less risk. If a tree falls in the first category, or if it is a historic, heritage, champion, or specimen-quality tree, it is wise to consider installing a lightning protection system.
Lightning protection systems must be designed for the specific branching habit of each individual tree.
What does lightning damage look like?
Lightning strike damage to a tree can vary considerably.
Lightning can instantly kill a tree by shocking it with up to 100 million volts of electricity, which literally cooks the vascular system of the tree with heat of up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The cells become instantly super-heated, and this causes the bark to peel or explode and be blown off the tree, typically in a streak from the upper canopy down the trunk to the ground. The damage can also extend to roots under the ground, creating further concern regarding the roots’ ability to offer structural support for the trunk and upper canopy.
In some cases, the foliage quickly turns brown and the tree dies after a lightning strike. In other cases, the full extent of the damage may be hidden, but then becomes more apparent as time goes on. Lightning strike damage can look different based on the tree species, the intensity of the strike, as well as the location of the entry and exit points of the lightning strike.
Installing a lightning protection system
Large trees with canopies that reach above those of surrounding trees are natural lightning rods and should be considered for a lightning protection system. The copper system is costly, but the loss of a large or significant tree can exact an emotional as well as financial toll on the tree’s owner. Also, consider that a large old tree cannot be replaced in our lifetime — for all the money in the world!
The proper hardware includes “points” at the top of each major limb with wires that run down the trunks. The wires often join together and then run outward to ground rods driven several feet into the ground. The bright copper from newly installed lightning protection systems quickly dulls and blends in with the color of tree trunks and branches when exposed to the weather.
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