# Lightning Strike?



## Daniel

I've been approached by a colleague to take down three (count them!) large to very large black walnut trees... one of them took a direct hit from lightning some years back. It is still alive, but there is some visible damage to the trunk/branches about 20-30 feet up.

All the trees are pretty close together (within 20 or 30 feet of each other).

What should I look for in terms of the damage to any potential lumber from these trees? Are they worth my time (and up front investment in terms of danger, equipment, money, etc)?


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## Daniel

Regarding the 1 chain per slab... ouch! But regarding the potential for the lumber - interesting, so basically if the cost of the felling is low enough to take a risk on the lumber, then it may be worth it.

Regarding felling trees - Not to worry: I am much more experienced with a chainsaw than I am with lumber and milling - many years of firewood, boltwood, pulpwood, and orchard work on a reasonably regular basis (I grew up on a farm in Central Maine, with all that entails). 

If it involves climbing, I generally stay well away from it. I will probably wind up hiring the tree crew that I am simultaneously negotiating with to call me when they cut trees in the city. Not a bad hook for the business proposition I am pitching! If I don't hire them I will rent a cherry picker to work from (I've done that before).

Thanks for the caution, however. I personally know enough folks who have been seriously injured or killed felling trees not to f$&k around! I really appreciate the sense of urgency in your warning, having given that same advise in that same tone to others!!!


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## Daniel

Not yet - I am going to do a walk-around the week after New Years. Will post 'em when I get 'em.


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## robster68

Daniel said:


> Not yet - I am going to do a walk-around the week after New Years. Will post 'em when I get 'em.



I cust down a large white oak about one year ago and it too had been struck by lightening. It was a very viable tree prior to the lightening strike, but soon after, it died. Upon disection of the tree, the inside was split all to heck. Fortunately, the aggressive part of the split seems to have been limited to the upper 1/3 of the tree, but is went straight down the center. The bottom half has a nice split line in it, but just one. I have yet to have this lumber milled, but will be milling it soon.


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## Daniel

I'm quite skeptical about the value of the lightning-struck tree. I have not inspected it yet, but I took a look at a few similarly abused trees both standing and cut when I was home for the holidays... all too often they basically turn into a big chunk of splinters held together by bark.

I think a lot of it depends on the trunk's moisture content when the strike happens. More moisture = explosive heating and flashing to steam of sap, and the tree turns into a giant batch of toothpicks. I will check it out, though, and see what can be salvaged. Like I said, I will post pictures when I get them. Should be interesting.


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## wood-junkie

Daniel said:


> I've been approached by a colleague to take down three (count them!) large to very large black walnut trees... one of them took a direct hit from lightning some years back. It is still alive, but there is some visible damage to the trunk/branches about 20-30 feet up.
> 
> All the trees are pretty close together (within 20 or 30 feet of each other).
> 
> What should I look for in terms of the damage to any potential lumber from these trees? Are they worth my time (and up front investment in terms of danger, equipment, money, etc)?



This is a walnut limb struck by lighting, rescued from the fire pit, and turned into a floor lamp. This may or may not be of interest but gives me an excuse to post pics.


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## Kevin

This one I felled yesterday has a lightning trough. Sometimes they kill the tree sometimes not. 

[attachment=949]


.


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## CodyS

Is that 'meant'/likely to produce any special timber kevin?


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## Daniel

I took a look at the trees yesterday:

All are still alive, leafing out and bearing walnuts. Two are moderately damaged near the point where the crowns branch out. One is pretty heavily damaged in places. All are between 3 and 4 feet DBH, many nice looking crotches and quite a few places with nice looking trunks. Roots will probably be pretty good. Location is between two garages, at the boundary between two backyards, with no overhead wires and no major structures within 50 feet. Truck access will be a piece of cake. The trees are far too dangerous to climb, even with ropes. Many cracked upper branches and some dead branches. Hard to tell what is solid and what is not, so a bucket truck is the only way to roll.

[attachment=951][attachment=952][attachment=953][attachment=954][attachment=955][attachment=956]

My thinking runs as follows: if my colleague and his neighbor agree to drop all three trees and give me the wood, I will pay to get it done, either by renting a bucket truck or by hiring a local tree crew (I've hired them before and they're great and decent price). If they only want to take out the most heavily damaged tree and trim/prune the others, then they have to pay for the tree work. That one tree has some potential in places but seems like too big a risk in terms of volume of quality lumber/burl/crotch.

The way I figure it, if I can get all three trees felled for less than 2000 dollars then I should be able to make my money back, plus some extra.

Any opinions?


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## Mandolin

This story is 100 % true. I've got a pine on my place that was lightning struck last spring. It's about 16 inches in diameter. You could see where the bolt ran down the tree because it blowed the bark off. All the needles promptly turned brown and fell off. I was planning on cutting it, but was putting it off because it was close to a 3 phase main power line, hoping the power company would take care of it. About 2 weeks ago, me and a friend of mine rode down that way to put up a deer cam and the tree was full of new green needles! It is still alive and the blown off bark is sapping over. I have seen a lot of lightning struck pines but I ain't never seen one do this. Pines always die after being struck. Almost.


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## Daniel

Mandolin said:


> This story is 100 % true. I've got a pine on my place that was lightning struck last spring. It's about 16 inches in diameter. You could see where the bolt ran down the tree because it blowed the bark off. All the needles promptly turned brown and fell off. I was planning on cutting it, but was putting it off because it was close to a 3 phase main power line, hoping the power company would take care of it. About 2 weeks ago, me and a friend of mine rode down that way to put up a deer cam and the tree was full of new green needles! It is still alive and the blown off bark is sapping over. I have seen a lot of lightning struck pines but I ain't never seen one do this. Pines always die after being struck. Almost.



Ha! My dad had a white pine get hit by lightning a few years ago... the upper part of the tree basically exploded and the lower part lived for about a year. That tree is now dead as a doornail. These trees look like they didn't get hit dead-on, more like the strike went down one side (or maybe up??) and have survived for quite a while... they're starting to look pretty ratty, though.


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## Ralph Muhs

I built my house from wind blown and lightning struck white pine and hemlock. Most of the time it just takes a strip of bark off on softwood trees. But I would be very skeptical of the quality of lumber from a hardwood tree struck by lightning.


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## NeilYeag

This is a walnut limb struck by lighting, rescued from the fire pit, and turned into a floor lamp. This may or may not be of interest but gives me an excuse to post pics.
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The lamp is very cool!

Neil


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