If you've been on the shore path walk this weekend you might have noticed the tree that was hit by lightning in the storm last Thursday. It really is quite dramatic. Sheets of bark have been stripped from the lower trunk of this relatively young oak tree but it appears to be untouched in the higher branches. The exposed trunk is a rich orange tan colour and the force of the strike can be seen in the splits that were made.
The height of this tree made it a natural lightning conductor. The charge follows the sap (phloem) between the bark and the trunk and its rapid vapourisation blasts the bark from the trunk. It must have been quite powerful as some of the strips of bark are several feet away from the tree.
It will be interesting to see if it can recover or whether the damage will ultimately kill the tree. Without its protective bark it is vulnerable to insect and fungal damage.
No comments:
Post a Comment