Tree hit by lightning, is lumber worth saving?

[email protected] (Doug Miller) wrote in message news:<GE%[email protected]>...
> Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a lightning-struck tree?
>
> A friend of a friend has a walnut tree that was killed by lightning, and I
> seem to have right of first refusal on the wood. I haven't seen the tree yet,
> so I don't know how large or how straight it is, or how much damage the
> lightning did. I'm wondering how much internal damage it's likely to have,
> that won't be visible until it is cut into lumber.
>
> Anyone have experience sawing up lightning-killed trees?

Hi Doug,
Happens all the time with walnut. When you go take a look at the
tree, take notice to see if it's the largest walnut in the area. I
don't know if it's the water content in it, but it always takes the
largest (trunk circumference ), not tallest) when it hits walnut. I
offered one farmer $6,000 for one in particular, since we had bought
another even larger. He wanted to let it grow a few more years and
that spring ligtning struck it and it was firewood. Sad thing is, I of
course, warned him this happens, and he thought we were just working
him.

Doug Miller wrote:>Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a
lightning-struck tree?
>
>A friend of a friend has a walnut tree that was killed by lightning, and I
>seem to have right of first refusal on the wood. I haven't seen the tree yet,
>
>so I don't know how large or how straight it is, or how much damage the
>lightning did. I'm wondering how much internal damage it's likely to have,
>that won't be visible until it is cut into lumber.
>
>Anyone have experience sawing up lightning-killed trees?
>
>
Like JOAT sez, take the free wood. Tom
Work at your leisure!

Wed, Oct 13, 2004, 1:36am (EDT+4) [email protected] (Doug=A0Miller)
questions:
Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a lightning-struck
tree? <snip>

Apparently. Some years back I had a tree hit. I left it as is,
and sometime later was asked for some of the wood, for a project. Don't
recall if for turning, or what. But, it was long enough after the
strike, insects had gotten at it, and it was useless.

If I recall right, the asker had used some before.

I'd say take it, but get at it fast.



JOAT
Flush the Johns.
- seen on a bumper sticker

[email protected] (hex) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (Doug Miller) wrote in message news:<GE%[email protected]>...
> > Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a lightning-struck tree?
> >
> > A friend of a friend has a walnut tree that was killed by lightning, and I
> > seem to have right of first refusal on the wood. I haven't seen the tree yet,
> > so I don't know how large or how straight it is, or how much damage the
> > lightning did. I'm wondering how much internal damage it's likely to have,
> > that won't be visible until it is cut into lumber.
> >
> > Anyone have experience sawing up lightning-killed trees?
>
> Depends on the strike. I have about 1300 bf of QS WO that came out of
> a tree that was lost to lightning. If not for the lightning it would
> have gone to a veneer mill. It's a really pretty flitch and there is
> very little lightning damage. My knee-jerk reaction is that the
> damage will mostly be near the surface since that's where the water
> is. Also remember current travels on the surface of conductors
> (assuming some low frequency assumption which probably won't hold for
> a lightning bolt -- consider the lightning voltage as a delta function
> --- fills all frequency space). Also I've never played much with
> plasmas, especially lightning induced plasmas so I could be completely
> wrong on this case.
> hex
> -30-

I've found it interesting after working in the southwest (Arizona) and
now in East Texas to see the differance in the effect of lightning
strikes. I'm talking mostly about pine (Ponderosa vs. Southern Yellow
Pine). In the SW, most lightning strikes blow the tree all to hell and
start a fire and may or may not kill the tree. In the SE, you seldom
see more than a strip of bark peeled off, but the tree will most
likely die (maybe the secondary bark beetles; Ips Ambrosia,
Turpentine, etc.) The wood in these trees in the SE seems to be fine
as we have salvaged many thousand board feet of this type of dead
timber. Walnut, and other hardwoods may be a totally different animal.

Fred

Yep - crapshoot. Put it on the carriage, slab it, roll as required to saw
for grade. You may get less than you hoped for, but you'll get all that you
can.

"DonkeyHody" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've cut a few lightning-struck trees up for firewood. Damage seems
> to depend on the strength of the strike. Some aren't damaged much.
> One 2' diameter red oak was pre-split right in the log. Each firewood
> length would split into three pieces when I cut it off.
>
> Cut the trunk and look at the end of the log. You'll know whether you
> have boards or firewood.
>
> DonkeyHody
> "Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him. - Thomas
> Carlyle
>
>
>
>
> > Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a lightning-struck
tree?
> >
> > A friend of a friend has a walnut tree that was killed by lightning, and
I
> > seem to have right of first refusal on the wood. I haven't seen the tree
yet,
> > so I don't know how large or how straight it is, or how much damage the
> > lightning did. I'm wondering how much internal damage it's likely to
have,
> > that won't be visible until it is cut into lumber.
> >
> > Anyone have experience sawing up lightning-killed trees?

The damage depends more on the strike itself, not the species. If it's a
"wet" strike it spends most of its energy on the outside.

SW is more likely to be dry lightning, which may explain his observation.
I've seen anywhere from neatly peeled bark to standing splinters on the same
species.

"Australopithecus scobis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 01:41:34 -0700, Fred Miner wrote:
>
> > strikes. I'm talking mostly about pine (Ponderosa vs. Southern Yellow
> > Pine). In the SW, most lightning strikes blow the tree all to hell and
> > start a fire and may or may not kill the tree. In the SE, you seldom
>
> Interesting observation, as Ponderosa lumber is softer than SYP. Would be
> nice if someone could describe Doug Fir strikes.
>
> --
> "Keep your ass behind you"
>

[email protected] (Doug Miller) wrote in message news:<GE%[email protected]>...
> Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a lightning-struck tree?

Doug,
I can't believe you're asking this question. Didn't anyone in this
group see, "The Natural?"

Wonderboy O'Deen

[email protected] (Doug Miller) wrote in message news:<GE%[email protected]>...
> Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a lightning-struck tree?
>
> A friend of a friend has a walnut tree that was killed by lightning, and I
> seem to have right of first refusal on the wood. I haven't seen the tree yet,
> so I don't know how large or how straight it is, or how much damage the
> lightning did. I'm wondering how much internal damage it's likely to have,
> that won't be visible until it is cut into lumber.
>
> Anyone have experience sawing up lightning-killed trees?

Depends on the strike. I have about 1300 bf of QS WO that came out of
a tree that was lost to lightning. If not for the lightning it would
have gone to a veneer mill. It's a really pretty flitch and there is
very little lightning damage. My knee-jerk reaction is that the
damage will mostly be near the surface since that's where the water
is. Also remember current travels on the surface of conductors
(assuming some low frequency assumption which probably won't hold for
a lightning bolt -- consider the lightning voltage as a delta function
--- fills all frequency space). Also I've never played much with
plasmas, especially lightning induced plasmas so I could be completely
wrong on this case.
hex
-30-

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Patrick Olguin) writes:
> [email protected] (Doug Miller) wrote in message news:<GE%[email protected]>...
>> Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a lightning-struck tree?
>
> Doug,
> I can't believe you're asking this question. Didn't anyone in this
> group see, "The Natural?"
>
> Wonderboy O'Deen

Or at least The Simpsons? (That bat didn't fare quite as well, IIRC.)

--
Jeff Thunder
Dept. of Mathematical Sciences
Northern Illinois Univ.
jthunder at math dot niu dot edu

I've cut a few lightning-struck trees up for firewood. Damage seems
to depend on the strength of the strike. Some aren't damaged much.
One 2' diameter red oak was pre-split right in the log. Each firewood
length would split into three pieces when I cut it off.

Cut the trunk and look at the end of the log. You'll know whether you
have boards or firewood.

DonkeyHody
"Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him. - Thomas
Carlyle




> Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a lightning-struck tree?
>
> A friend of a friend has a walnut tree that was killed by lightning, and I
> seem to have right of first refusal on the wood. I haven't seen the tree yet,
> so I don't know how large or how straight it is, or how much damage the
> lightning did. I'm wondering how much internal damage it's likely to have,
> that won't be visible until it is cut into lumber.
>
> Anyone have experience sawing up lightning-killed trees?

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 10:15:47 -0500, Australopithecus scobis
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 01:41:34 -0700, Fred Miner wrote:
>
>> strikes. I'm talking mostly about pine (Ponderosa vs. Southern Yellow
>> Pine). In the SW, most lightning strikes blow the tree all to hell and
>> start a fire and may or may not kill the tree. In the SE, you seldom
>
>Interesting observation, as Ponderosa lumber is softer than SYP. Would be
>nice if someone could describe Doug Fir strikes.

The Doug Fir strikes I've seen have involved blowing the top out of
the tree and sometimes a strip out of the side. Many times it is just
a burn down one side clear to the ground. I'm not sure that there is
really a pattern on a species by species basis as I've seen the same
things with Ponderosa and Western Larch (Tamarack). One thing that
does seem to be universal is that the wood gets heated a lot, I've
found big chunks blown out of green trees where the pieces were cooked
completely dry, less moisture than kiln dried. I suspect that the
heating and subsequent steam is what blows the trees apart and may be
what causes cracking in the trunk.

Still, for the OP, I would suggest cutting it and seeing what is
there.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 01:41:34 -0700, Fred Miner wrote:

> strikes. I'm talking mostly about pine (Ponderosa vs. Southern Yellow
> Pine). In the SW, most lightning strikes blow the tree all to hell and
> start a fire and may or may not kill the tree. In the SE, you seldom

Interesting observation, as Ponderosa lumber is softer than SYP. Would be
nice if someone could describe Doug Fir strikes.

--
"Keep your ass behind you"

Around here a lightning struck tree is called a devil wood tree by the
old-timers. They say that the wood is no good for fire wood because it
won't give in heat when burned and the lumber will ruin a saw. What is your
experience with it? I have never had a chance to use any of it myself.
"DonkeyHody" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've cut a few lightning-struck trees up for firewood. Damage seems
> to depend on the strength of the strike. Some aren't damaged much.
> One 2' diameter red oak was pre-split right in the log. Each firewood
> length would split into three pieces when I cut it off.
>
> Cut the trunk and look at the end of the log. You'll know whether you
> have boards or firewood.
>
> DonkeyHody
> "Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him. - Thomas
> Carlyle
>
>
>
>
> > Is there much chance of getting usable lumber out of a lightning-struck
tree?
> >
> > A friend of a friend has a walnut tree that was killed by lightning, and
I
> > seem to have right of first refusal on the wood. I haven't seen the tree
yet,
> > so I don't know how large or how straight it is, or how much damage the
> > lightning did. I'm wondering how much internal damage it's likely to
have,
> > that won't be visible until it is cut into lumber.
> >
> > Anyone have experience sawing up lightning-killed trees?

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 10:13:56 -0700, Tim Douglass
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I've seen the same
>things with Ponderosa and Western Larch (Tamarack).

I've never seen a lightning-struck larch. If our larch get hit, they
burn.

Not quite as bad as Australian gum trees, but you get the idea.