In most cases, reports on damages caused by lightning would be focused on people and important structures. Rarely is it heard that lightning has destroyed trees. In reality, trees are the most common casualties in incidents of lightning, this according to data provided by experts in this field.
Trees are Prone to Lightning
Before a lightning hits the ground, it is very common to see it hitting a tree first. This is due to the high content of water in trees and water has been known to be a better electrical conductor than air. In particular, the tree trunk stores so much water that this is usually the part that is damaged when hit by a lightning. When the lightning surges through the water found in the tree trunk, it may result to the blasting of the bark of the tree. It is not unusual to see parts of the trunk spread over long distances.
A lightning contains so much energy that its effect can be devastating. This is especially true with what is called the “hot bolt” in which electric current may be lower but the duration of the lightning can be longer. A tree hit by this type of lightning may result to fire. It has been reported that over 7,500 forest fires in United States are caused by this lightning.
A number of these lightning may not directly result to fire due to the rains that usually go with this lightning. Nevertheless, damage may still be caused to the tree by opening up wounds. These wounds then may invite insects, fungi, and other disease-carrying pests that may eventually cause the demise of the tree.
Protecting the Tree from Lightning
Protecting trees from possible damage due to lightning is achieved through the use of lightning rods. Lightning rods are actually simple devices with a metal that serves as a conductor for the electrical current brought by lightning. Since this lighting rods offer a better conductor, lighting hits the ground without any contact with the tree. These devices are basically the same as those installed in many structures intended to provide protection from lightning.
Placement of Lightning Rods
Especially if there are hundreds of trees, installing lightning rods in every tree is impractical. So in these cases, the choice of trees to be protected should be narrowed down. Bases for the decision may include the specie of the tree, height of the trees, and how near it is to a property. In making these decisions, it would help getting the advice of the experts. Better still, have these skilled and experienced personnel do the installation in order to ensure that these are properly done.