Tree hit by lightning - what now?

[t-noah]

This thread is worthless without pics!

So here's a few of my backyard tree struck by lightning a few weeks ago. Well, to be more accurate, it struck the giant poison ivy vine growing on the tree and only seemed to damage the tree where the bolt of lightning jumped over to the tree bark closer to the ground. It seems to have actually killed the poison ivy vine. My wife saw the lightning bolt through the patio doors, unfortunately I missed it. Fortunately, the tree seems to be fine.


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So in other words, God smote his ruin on your poison ivy. Proof that poison ivy is indeed from the devil.

God was indeed telling you not to let poison ivy get so damn big! Hah

 

[VeloClone]

This thread is worthless without pics!

So here's a few of my backyard tree struck by lightning a few weeks ago. Well, to be more accurate, it struck the giant poison ivy vine growing on the tree and only seemed to damage the tree where the bolt of lightning jumped over to the tree bark closer to the ground. It seems to have actually killed the poison ivy vine. My wife saw the lightning bolt through the patio doors, unfortunately I missed it. Fortunately, the tree seems to be fine.

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You are right! Here is a pic the day the lightning hit. This kind of hides some of the bark that was totally shredded and just hanging in front of the bare area. You can see one of the cracks in the bark at the top of the image.

 

[VeloClone]

God was indeed telling you not to let poison ivy get so damn big! Hah

My brother bought a property that has several acres of wood. He has a big poison ivy problem that is taking a lot of work to attack. We have been taking down trees and cleaning up brush a few weekends a year for several years. The PI vines are a huge pain in the ass. It is amazing how much foamy sap comes out of those big vines when you sever them.

Pro tip: not first hand experience but second hand - make sure you take off your gloves before taking a piss in the woods.

 

[t-noah]

My brother bought a property that has several acres of wood. He has a big poison ivy problem that is taking a lot of work to attack. We have been taking down trees and cleaning up brush a few weekends a year for several years. The PI vines are a huge pain in the ass. It is amazing how much foamy sap comes out of those big vines when you sever them.

Pro tip: not first hand experience but second hand - make sure you take off your gloves before taking a piss in the woods.

10-4 good buddy! PI is nasty and one must be very careful not to get it from the 2nd hand contact also, clothes, things you might touch, even weeks later.

 

[t-noah]

My brother bought a property that has several acres of wood. He has a big poison ivy problem that is taking a lot of work to attack. We have been taking down trees and cleaning up brush a few weekends a year for several years. The PI vines are a huge pain in the ass. It is amazing how much foamy sap comes out of those big vines when you sever them.

Pro tip: not first hand experience but second hand - make sure you take off your gloves before taking a piss in the woods.

I might have a suggestion on this. If you can, spray as much of the smaller stuff with a weed killer, including as high up on the vines that go up trees, getting the leaves good helps absorb the spray into the root system. The following year repeat, but it might now not be as bad. Continue until gone. It may take several years for the average homeowner to get rid of it completely.

The larger root vines, going up trees, I try to sever those when I see 'em, right away usually, if I can't see or reach the leaves with spray. If you can reach the leaves, spray, wait a few days, then sever the trunks.

And, of course, if using a chain saw, be very careful to be upwind of the wood chippings and ivy sap. If I'm chainsawing some other wood or trees, and know I've got some poison ivy to cut, I will do that last, or first, it probably doesn't matter, as long as you are careful. Then I feel that when I put my saw away for a couple of weeks or longer, I will clean the saw, again being careful of the residual PI contact. Nasty stuff.

 

[t-noah]

You are right! Here is a pic the day the lightning hit. This kind of hides some of the bark that was totally shredded and just hanging in front of the bare area. You can see one of the cracks in the bark at the top of the image.

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Thanks for the pic. That's about what I figured it might look like. Again, I think your tree will survive but it is a huge stress on the tree, this old. Its likely to take a few years off its lifespan. I looked it up, and that tree ave. life is about 100 years. I'll bet yours is about 50- 70 years old right now, give or take.

If it's 80 y/o tree, for example, the stress of this injury may cause it to die prematurely at 90 or so.

 

[t-noah]

You are right! Here is a pic the day the lightning hit. This kind of hides some of the bark that was totally shredded and just hanging in front of the bare area. You can see one of the cracks in the bark at the top of the image.

View attachment 151404

It also looks like the superficial ground roots took some wide-spread damage?

 

[dafarmer]

Nothing like the pow and sizzle when it hits the tree. heard it many times at our old place. Cottonwoods draw lightning.

 

[CyclonesRock]

You are right! Here is a pic the day the lightning hit. This kind of hides some of the bark that was totally shredded and just hanging in front of the bare area. You can see one of the cracks in the bark at the top of the image.

View attachment 151404

I would prepare yourself to accept that this tree is a goner. I had a red elm several years ago that was probably a little bigger around than yours but had similar damage to what yours is showing. It appeared to be fine in fact it looked like it was healing as the summer went along. Suddenly it dropped it's leaves in late August. The next spring it budded and leafed out just like normal but then dropped it's leaves after only a couple weeks and that was it. Had to pay to have it removed as it was too close to my house for me to feel comfortable doing it myself.

 

[2122]

I'd let the tree be. If the bark came off all the way around (girdled), the tree would likely die. But judging from photos, there is enough bark left (and thus critical cambium layer beneath the bark) that the tree should do just fine and heal up over time.

 

[Rogue52]

This thread is worthless without pics!

So here's a few of my backyard tree struck by lightning a few weeks ago. Well, to be more accurate, it struck the giant poison ivy vine growing on the tree and only seemed to damage the tree where the bolt of lightning jumped over to the tree bark closer to the ground. It seems to have actually killed the poison ivy vine. My wife saw the lightning bolt through the patio doors, unfortunately I missed it. Fortunately, the tree seems to be fine.

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I had a sycamore that got hit like this in 2018. It looked just like this. It survived but carpenter ants took over due to the damage in the spring of 2019. It survived another year and then the derecho cut it in half. I had it taken down and discovered just how bad the carpenter ant infestation was.