Lightning strikes my big oak

[Waldo]

Need som advice and opinions a to whether my tree has aa chance of surviving the lightning strike it took a week ago thursday. Also, what if anything do I need to do to proteect the bare aeas the bark was blown off from.
Here are a couple of pictures. The first picture is on he east side of the tree and the second one is on the west side.

You cant see it in the picture but on the east side where the bare spot ends there is like a charred black line about 1-1/2" - 2" wide that runs all the way to the ground

I THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP !!

 

[Cowboy Billy]

I don't know about oak

But this is my elm

This happened in 2005. I was told it would be dead in two years. But it is still going strong. Look at how far it blew the bark. In fact I had bark all the way to the house 60-70 feet away from the tree. 2nd time in three years lightning struck a tree in my yard. What a way to to get woken up! The year before this lightning struck a big black willow 100 feet or so from this one and its not having any problems either. That one scared me too as it is 30 feet or so from the trees my house usually stands under.

Weather its true or not I heard the problem with lightning hitting a tree is that it can burn the fine roots on the tree so it cannot then get nutrients.

Billy

 

[Waldo]

Sure hope mine lives too. This tree is within about 10 ft of our house. Sure hope it doesn't become a lightning rod now. I had one piece yjay had blown 90 feet southeast of the tree and was sticking almost 2 feet in the ground

 

[Little Monkey]

should be ok , its hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like it only damaged the bark, best not to cover it just let the tree heal in its own time,
and it should stand for many years , also its attracting lightning away from the house

 

[treeseer]

best to get someone to climb and assess bark detachment; invisible from ground; yes treating exposed wood to deter borers is good to do; see attached

 

[Boa07]

I would agree with Guy for your own peace of mind if you have the capital get an experienced Arborist do a climbing inspection.

Great pics by the way, I don't think there is a great deal that can be said based on the photos alone as to what the long term consequences will be for your tree.

 

[Waldo]

Thanks everyone
About what would it cost to get a climbing inspection done?

 

[True Blue Sam]

Keep an eye on the root swells below the lightning hit. If the bark stays tight, you can keep your tree until the top goes bad. If lightning killed the root, you will see the bark loosen up, and you will know that you are losing support underground. Good Luck!

 

[treeseer]

Thanks everyone
About what would it cost to get a climbing inspection done?

you may want to pm ropensaddle here; he is in AR. everyone has different hourly rates.

 

[treemandan]

you may want to pm ropensaddle here; he is in AR. everyone has different hourly rates.

That is some good advice.

 

[BarkBuster20]

id just wait and watch if the bark loosens up like mentioned before take it down. should take more than that to kill the mighty oak.

 

[treeseer]

id just wait and watch if the bark loosens up

When lightning strikes a tree, the owner will often assign an arborist to help determine the appropriate response. Depending on the tree and on the arborist, what they hear will range from “It’s going to die, so we should remove it”, to ”It looks okay for now, let’s wait and see.” Neither of these extremes adequately addresses the owner’s or the tree’s needs. Both neglect useful tree care techniques for assessing and mitigating lightning damage:

1. Bark inspection. Tap the bark with a mallet to determine whether it is detached from the wood. Measure the detached areas. Probe any cracks in the xylem with a thin instrument to determine the depth. If the damage to the lower trunk is not extensive, inspect the crown.
**If time is limited, inspect the bark just above the major forks. It appears like the stream of electricity encounters the fork and swirls back and to the sides, like a river hitting a rock and forming an eddy. Due to this eddy effect, inspection above the origins of the scaffold limbs seldom yields significant information.
2. Consider the species’ relative tolerance to lightning strikes, based on its compartmentalization qualities, grain pattern, and genetic vigor.
3. Consider the individual specimen’s vitality, and its location relative to people and property. Assess the risk.

Present treatment options to the owner, providing a prognosis of recovery if the treatments move forward. If the client is an insurance company, the arborist is often asked to make a recommendation because the tree work is part of a claim. If the owner decides the risk is acceptable, these steps can be taken:

1. Reattach the bark if it is still moist inside. Thin bark may move enough if it is wrapped tightly for a few weeks. Plastic food wrap can work well. Thicker bark may be reattached with fasteners such as staples.
2. If the bark cannot be reattached, it should be trimmed—“traced”—back to the point where it is attached to the xylem, so there will be no hollow area as callus tissue grows over the wound. This applies to all the bark, from the top of the tree down to the buttress roots.
3. The exposed wood should be treated to repel insects. Reapply as needed.
4. The soil around the roots, especially those that carried the current, should be aerated as needed. and inoculated with beneficial microorganisms such as mycorrhizal fungi. Any mineral element that is lacking should also be applied.
5. Mulch the root system 2-4” with organic material, and irrigate as needed.

 

[Waldo]

Had a tree service come out yesterday evening. He walked around the tree, looked at where it had been struck and immediately declared that the tree would be dead within 6 months and we needed to get it cut down.

I'm going to fight for this 125+ year old tree...What do i need to spray the exposed areas with to help protect it?
I'm trying to find someone else to come out and trim the bark back as suggested.

What is the best way to aerate the root system?

 

[treeseer]

He walked around the tree, looked at where it had been struck and immediately declared that the tree would be dead within 6 months and we needed to get it cut down.

This is malpractice and total bs. Sounds like you got a free estimate (WORTH ALL THAT YOU PAID FOR IT) by a removalist. You can find an arborist through the link in my sig line. just type in your zip code.

 

[Boa07]

Sure sounds like the chap you got out only had eyes for the take down.....though they were on site and I'm many thousands of km away...if you want someone to advise you on how to save the tree ask them about their experience with other lightning struck trees what has survived and what has not, engage them in a conversation about what they believe is going on in the tree after it has been struck, how the tree might manage the traumatic event, and thereby how an Arborist might be able to assist in improving the odds for long term recovery and survival.

Most of the Arborists I know who engage in saving trees from the brink of total collapse (not that this is a description of your tree necessarily) are very passionate about what they do and love to discuss what they understand about tree biology and how they can fit into the life cycle of trees and improve things.

 

[John D]

Ive had several trees struck by lightning on the golf course on 18 yrs that ive been there ,unfortunately we lost every one of them within 2 yrs.2 of them were pin oak,these trees are hearty and tough,but the lightning split them right open,put a verticl crack over 20 ft long in each one.I didnt take them down immediately,just waited it out,an seen how they did.Took them once it was clear they were gone.

 

[Waldo]

This is malpractice and total bs. Sounds like you got a free estimate (WORTH ALL THAT YOU PAID FOR IT) by a removalist. You can find an arborist through the link in my sig line. just type in your zip code.

Thanks You very much...I appreciate the link

 

[Waldo]

Had another tree service came out Monday ( ISA Certified Arborist ) and he told me that the tree would probably die too...In about 30 or 40 years. He thinks it will be fine but did recommend trimming back some of the larger limbs overhanging the house. Took a couple of pictures a while ago of the tree already leafing out