Lightning strikes?

[ADB328]

Hi All

 

Im not totally familiar with lightning strikes but i suspect this is can someone comfirm it for me?

 

Its basically a spiralling twist of dead bark on 2 separate trees (phots included)

 

Apologies that they are facing the wrong way up.

 

Or of not lightning what could cause that?

 

Cheers

[treeseer]

Maybe so, maybe not, pics do not tell for sure.

 

Trunks twisting in wind is another theory.

[Paul Smith]

Lightning normally takes the quickest route to earth.

[Fungus]

if not lightning what could cause that?

 

In the first picture on oak, it seems to be associated with vertical splitting and cracking of bark by rhizomorphs of a necrotrophic parasitic Armillaria species. Did you also assess black oozing spots on the trunk ?

In the pictures on beech, the vertical lesion or spiral crack could be caused by the inside activity of the mycelium or mycelial sheets or felts of Fomes fomentarius making the tree vulnerable for torsion twist by twirl winds.

[treeseer]

Good idea to assess any lesions, in the course of removing dead loose tissue. Sounding with a mallet can indicate inner conditions.

Finding the ends of the cracks can help find the cause.

[Fungus]

Sounding with a mallet can indicate inner conditions ...

 

... such as the presence of Armillaria rhizomorphs and/or melanine plaques or mycelial sheets or felts of Fomes fomentarius ?

[treeseer]

... such as the presence of Armillaria rhizomorphs and/or melanine plaques or mycelial sheets or felts of Fomes fomentarius ?

 

All these kill tissue, which would result in a hollow sound.

 

Note that removal of dead tissue, which would produce visual evidence of all these, should also be done.

 

Re the quickest route, lightning often spirals, when the grain does.