KA-BOO00M

[Waldo]

That was the sound that woke me from a deep sleep about 12:15am this morning. A helluva thunder clap I thought as i rolled over and went back to sleep. The mornings dawn revealed the cause of that big boom..My poor oak tree !!! Does it have a chance of living? Anything I can do ?

These pieces were 90 feet away from the tree that got struck

The piece sticking in the ground was a little over 3-1/2 ft long...AMAZING force that threw it that far, sticking it in the ground over two foot deep


I called my "Good Neighbor", State Farm insurance....Oh, we dont cover that. If it had fallen on your home it would have covered the damage to your home but even then you would be responsible for having the tree removed..

This fight aint over yet ???

 

[grapeman]

Good luck with the tree Waldo. I hope it make it OK. I have seen many trees survive fine with a blow like that, but then others that don't get nailed as bad, die. Luck of the draw.


I'm an expert on trees getting hit from lightning and have gotten indirect strikes 3 out of the last four years- to me that is. The trees get it even worse. I had a big pine get hit and split in two and blew half the limbs completely off it. I cut it down and the next year the lightning hit the same spot where the tree was removed( I had the stump dug out). So don't go cutting the tree up in a lightning storm!

 

[Wade E]

Bummer Waldo, is it a white oak cause thats a lot of wine that will need to be made for all that wine with some left over for your little fireplace!

 

[rem1]

I had a huge oak hit by lightning at our old place. it lived for 3 years then died. Had a friend whose oak was hit by ligftning about 20 years ago & pieces of it went through his roof. Dont remember if his good neighbor covered it or not.
If it dies i guess you got more vineyard & blueberry space.


EM

 

[NorthernWinos]

We had one hit and blew out the side....Pieces as big as myself blew across the yard....The ground was littered with dead birds of all sizes...

The tree lived for many years...one side eventually died and the new owners must have needed firewood and eventually took it down.

Don't cut it down, it doesn't look all that bad.

 

[dragonmaster42]

That's impressive and too close for comfort! Good thing nothing else was damaged from the flying tree parts or the lightning- people, cars, house, electronics, etc. That same storm dropped marble size hail on me for a while. No damage, but got the cat all riled up from the noise.


I've seenoaks live quite a while after being hit like that.A lot depends on how fast it heals over the damaged area and if bugs or disease gets into it.Guess it's a "wait and see" type thing unfortunately.

 

[Wade E]

My father used to put some kind of stuff over cut ends, looked like tar or something.

 

[whino-wino]

I had a big pine get hit and split in two and blew half the limbs completely off it. I cut it down and the next year the lightning hit the same spot where the tree was removed( I had the stump dug out). So don't go cutting the tree up in a lightning storm!

So much for the "lightning doesn't strike twice in the same spot" theory....


I haven't had any trees get hit, but my boat took a direct hit last year (right on the motor no less) while I was eating dinner. Saw the whole thing through the window. The boat motor still runs fine.


Take some spray paint (black) and paint over where the bark got stripped. That should help the tree to recover. Usually the older trees will just scab over where the bark was removed on their own but it looks like quite a bit of that tree was stripped. Pay close attention to the leaves this year. If the ones on the top start to die off, then you'll probably want to cut it down.

 

[hannabarn]

Looks like a candidate for acorn wine to me! It will probably be OK if it didn't get to the center of the tree! They are pretty hardy trees!

 

[admiral]

Waldo, I had an oak tree that lightening struck just like yours. It lived for 25 years after the strike. However, the interior of the tree became hollow. This was a gigantic tree and was over 150 years old. I called a tree service and the owner came out to lookat the tree. He said, "The treeshould be brought down but only a fool would climb the tree because it was so rotten." (A long pause for effect.) He then said, "And my fool is laid up with a sore back but he will be back to work next Wednesday." They brought the tree down with the use of his "fool" and a crane. I am still burning the wood from that tree now three years later.

I hope your tree does well in the future.

 

[Waldo]

Thanks everyone...I have a couple of Arborist that are coming out next week to look at it. Sure hoping it can be saved

 

[suprasteve]

we have a trailer park with hundreds of trees, mostly oaks and pines. We usually have at least one or two hit a year, sometimes more, but the thing that seems to do the trees in down here is beetles. After the tree gets hit I guess it gets 'weaker' because it seems like the wood-boring beetles just know which tree got hit and start boring into it. Most of the trees thta are hit and don't get beetles right away seem to recover fine, but the ones thta get the beetles are usually a lost cause. Don't know the range of the little buggers as I'm in Florida, but if that's any useful info....

 

[mjdtexan]

There a couple of Arborist forums that I would post that picture to immediatly. These guys on those forums love to help people with that kind of thing and it would keep the local arborist honest. Good luck with your tree. Seriously, I've gotten good sound advice from there.

 

[Wade E]

Have they come out there yet Waldo?

 

[Waldo]

have not shown up yet wade. Was supposed to have been here wednesday evening but called and said they would need to reschedule due to illness. Willl look for the forums midtex alluded to.

 

[Waldo]

Well, i am now a member of another forum
http://arboristsite.com/


I will find out now where all the really good fruit trees arre locat. Especay those chokecherry upin MN

 

[mississippi mud]

wow! I just spent an hour reading post about climbing big trees and some of the accidents. That's some though ol' boys living on the edge .
thanks for sharing waldo.

 

[PolishWineP]

Well, i am now a member of another forum
http://arboristsite.com/


I will find out now where all the really good fruit trees arre locat. Especay those chokecherry upin MN

Waldo! Quit talkin' and start drivin'. You should come on up here when it warms up a bit. Maybe you can come up when the choke cherries are ready for picking. Bring your steamer and jars.

 

[Waldo]

i MAY TAKE YOU UP ON THAT pwp....
UPDATE ON THE MIGHTY OAK...
I had one tree service come out, walked around the tree and immediately declared that it would be dead in 3 months and I needed to get it down now...they would do it for me for only $3,600.00


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

 

[grapeman]

Waldo even if the tree dies, you know as well as I do that it will remain standing for several years. IF it dies, then get a proper price estimate for a reasonable removal. If there isn't much near it in the fall zone, you could give the tree to somebody for firewood- even split the wood with them. Explore your options before reacting- as I am sure you will anyways.