It looked ok afterward except for weeping sap and bare places along the trunk. Bark flew off the tree when it was hit.

==>>>> just that?????.. lol

i dont see how watering it.. DEEPLY could hurt ...

and w/o a pic ... it sure sounds like a goner ...

could you please favor us with some pix....

one thing for sure.. fertilizer will NOT help a stressed tree ...

i suppose.. the bottom line is whether it threatens anything.. should it decide to take gravity up on its deal.. and fall over ... if so.. time to get on ON SITE inspection... and not bother with our long distance opinion ...

good luck

ken

Pines almost never survive lightning strikes here. One of the biggest issues is that bark beetles LOVE pines that have been struck by lightning. Watering can't hurt if you are in a drought - make sure you water deeply and sufficiently.

Seen a 70' Norway spruce survive a direct strike -- scar from top to bottom. Lost a few branches, but fine now. Don't give up yet.

Years ago, somewhere in Belgium a Cryptomeria got hit by lightning. It recovered well and created a broom at the place were it was damaged...

I agree that other conifers survive, but pines in particular usually do not.

To water a tree that large woukd you guys think just haul the sprinkler over to it and turn it in medium all day?

My thinking is you can water a good portion of the root zone that way as rain would and not cause any damage like you would just turning the hose on and setting it in the grass.

Could've been worse . . .

{{gwi:351460}}

Resin

Here's a lightning strike on a green ash in a Hagerstown, MD cemetery. Can't see it in the pic, but the path extended down the trunk & outward along roots.

This post was edited by beng on Fri, Jun 14, 13 at 11:32

Hi, thanks for the comments and suggestions. Here is picture of the trunk a year after the strike. We are watering the big guy right now.

thanks,

Karen

Watering might help. If it's been a year since the strike, and the tree is still alive, it will probably make it. Every once in a while even a pine can survive lightning, especially when there is ample moisture to help it recover.