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P/Oed at Mother Nature

Started by Bibbyman, June 08, 2008, 08:12:58 PM

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Bibbyman

I guess Mother Nature is trying to mess with me. 



Last winter we had a horrific ice storm and it damaged or destroyed many of the trees on our farm.  Then just today Mary are driving out and I look at the woods just behind the firewood processor and see a red oak tree with dead leaves in the top.  This evening I went and checked.  Sure enough, lightning had blown the bark clean off from 30' up to the ground all the way around. I've never seen a tree this naked of bark!  The tree is also busted and has cracks big enough to stick a finger in all the way to the base.   It was the only tree of any value within 50 yards. Now it's firewood and dangerous to cut.



Then last winter the ice storm busted the top out of a nice red oak about 20' up.  Then it busted it all the way to the base.   Just the winter before we had cut a couple dozen red/black oaks in that area.  I left that one because it was one of the best ones in the area and looked to be in excellent health.  Same with the one that was lightning struck.   If the top had just broken completely out and fallen on the ground,  it would be somewhat safe to cut.  But with the top well attached, split to the ground and other trees around,  it too will be very dangerous to cut.  I could probably still get some good lumber off the halves as it split pretty much down the center in a single split.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Dave Shepard

I've never seen a tree shucked of it's bark like that either. :o

Lightning hit the pole in front of the house today, heck of a storm. Lineman was tossing all kinds of bits off the pole. Got the power on in a few minutes though.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Ironwood

WE had a HUGE popular in the "front yard" (we're 3/4 mile off the road) hit many years ago. Blew bark up to 100' away, hitting the house and cars, even slpit a nice cast aluminum sign I had bolted to the tree " I am the friend of man........" I'll get the quote on here some time. THEN it ran down the tree, into the ground via the roots and shot back up blowning a 2' deep 3" diameter hole through the bed rock (shallow soil) shale. WOW powerful stuff.



   Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

thecfarm

When my Father and me was cutting wood here,I noticed an odd looking tree a ways off.I had him stop and I went over and looked at it.It was a good size white maple that got hit by lightning.It caught some of the pine slash that was at the base of the maple tree on fire.Than the shower came and put the fire out.The fire only went a few feet from the base of the tree.That was close.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Faron

We had a white oak about 30" in dia struck in the same way a few years ago. Took all the bark off and split the tree to the ground.  My brother was sitting in a pickup in a shed about 20 yards away at the time.  I was in a combine in another shed maybe 100 yards away.  It was pretty loud and shook the combine pretty good.  Somebody needs to figure out how to collect and store those charges.   ;)  Maybe replace that $4.00 gas.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Ironwood

While on a post college road trip out west in 1991, I was with a group of ski patrollers at there annual sumer picnic, we watched a random small thundercloud shoot a lightening bolt out the bottom, from across Priest Lake on the precipous of the ridge to our west, the tree BURST into full flame :o IT WAS AN AWSOME SIGHT to behold. It was probably 2-3 miles across the lake and 1500' above us silohetted against the sky. WOW/

Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

Bibbyman

I've seen many trees that were struck by lightning.  But none that peeled the bark off like this tree. 

A real odd thing happened to a tree about 20' from the house about 20 years ago. 

Son Chris was home from the Marines for a visit and for those couple of weeks he was here he tried to ambush a squirrel in our front yard.  The little gray always managed to get the best of him.  The day he had to go back to San Diego, Mary took him to the KC airport.  I had delivered an order of lumber to a neighbor just up the road. As we were visiting, his wife came out and put her car in the garage.  She said they announced a bad storm moving in rather quickly.   It was a summer's afternoon but didn't look like the front coming in was going to be that bad.  Within a few minutes I was home and the storm hit.  I came in and turned on the TV to get the weather news.  It was only minutes when lightning hit just outside.  The TV was in that corner and it popped and went out. The storm passed quickly and I went out to see what the lightning had struck.  It struck a big water oak about 20' from the house.  It was about 30" through at the stump.  The lightning had split it a couple of ways from the stump up.  Dirt and roots were blown out. It  looked like a stick of dynamite had been set off under it.  At the base laid Chris' squirrel, dead as a hammer.   The TV was toast.  I was amazed that the tree has healed up and showed no sign of its injuries although I'm sure it's junk inside.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

zopi

Y'know, Bibby has alot of reason to be PO'd at Ma Nature..good thing beauty is only skin deep..lol

I saw a red oak a few weeks ago on a buddy's place was blasted like that..bark blew off in a corkscrew spiral around the trunk..wierd..i might get the trunk out of that one..
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

beenthere

30 years ago, had an elm tree about 30 yards from the house, hit by lightning, and peeled blew all the bark off for 25' of the stem, all the way around. Elm bark ended up against the house, and the force blew pictures off that wall. Daughter was home alone that night, and none too happy about it all.

Lightning hit a hickory tree across our field 15 years ago, and the bolt blew open a foot-deep ditch along one tree root about 10' to a 4-strand barb wire fence on mostly steel posts. Melted the barb wires for a good 200 yards in both directions. In some places a few of the barbs could be found on the ground intact, along with melted globs of steel. Pretty amazing energy.

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Tom

With your house on a hill, you could be in deep doo doo when all the taller trees are gone.  :P :)

Bibbyman

I told Mary this evening maybe I'd just leave that tree standing there and when some dumb customer wants to stand on that ridge and talk when there is a thunderstorm in the area,  I'll tell them to go stand by that tree.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

easymoney

 lightning can be mean stuff. about 2 years ago late one afternoon it struck a tree near my mother in laws house. there was a 6 inch plastic water line buried near it. it shattered the water line for about 100 feet . the city had to dig up and replace that much line to restore water service to our neighborhood. i would not have thought about it bothering plastic pipe.

Toolman

Last summer we had a weird experience with lightning. Had an 80 ft. black locust at back edge of my property. Lightning hit it while eatin dinner. It was so loud, me and the 12 yr. old boy actually dropped to the floor. Went outside and saw smoke coming from locust tree. It completely blew the whole top clean off. The only thing left was about 50 ft. of straight trunk. This tree was a good 30" across. The inside of the tree had a small hollow area in it from what appeared to be a large black ant colony. This tree burned slowly inside for about 3 days. The top of the tree looked like a chimney. It rain real hard on third day and suspect that is what finally put fire out. This happened in July. In late Sept. I dropped tree and found that it had slowly burned about 6 ft. down!!! It apparently loosened bark from wood when it got hit because every bit of bark came off when I dropped it. I was able to cut about 30 posts out of it that a local horse farm bought off of me.

You gotta respect Mother Nature.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have" (Thomas Jefferson)

Bibbyman

I'm sure I told this elsewhere on the Forum but I worked with a guy that was struck by lightning not once but twice!  He was a normal enough guy – even exceptionally intelligent I'd say but every weekend yielded some kind of near death experience.  Every Monday I'd ask him what happed over the weekend and sometimes he'd come out with a story or later he'd come by and tell about turning the tractor over or something.  Just slipped his mind.

Well, one time he was helping put up hay when a thunderstorm came up.  They were rushing trying to get out of the field.  He had his hand resting on the throttle or hydraulic lever or something when lightning struck nearby.  It blew a hole through his hand! 

Then a couple of years later, he was going through a wire gap in a fence.  He had driven his truck through and went back to shut the gap.  One of his daughters in the truck happened to look back and see him on the ground.  But he got up and shut the gate and come back to the truck.  She asked him what he was doing on the ground.  Well, he was a bit confused as to what happened but figured out lightning had hit the fence or near the fence somewhere nearby. 

He kind of shrugged things off.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

wudhed

Hey Bib,

He doesnt sound like a really good guy to hang around in a storm!!  :D :D
Proudly building quality timberframes since 1981!

Bibbyman

Quote from: wudhed on June 09, 2008, 05:13:34 PM
Hey Bib,

He doesnt sound like a really good guy to hang around in a storm!!  :D :D

Nope!  You're wrong. He's at least 5" taller than me.  I figure if lightning is going to strike anyone, it'll strike him!
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

zopi

Dunno..i had lightning strike a beagle about 20 feet from me once....sucks to be him...he was feeling quite sorry for himself...

Loud...
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

rebocardo

Quote from: Tom on June 09, 2008, 12:39:29 AM
With your house on a hill, you could be in deep doo doo when all the taller trees are gone.  :P :)

Which is why I am kind of leery about removing all the tall pines around my house, I don't want the stainless steel chimney to be the closest lightening rod  :D

stonebroke

That't why they make lightening rods

Stonebroke

Ironwood

WE have some old timers around that think lightening rods ATTRACT lightening, and there is NO guaruntee that the violent strike will follow the conduit to the ground.  I'll go w/ their wisdom.

Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

logwalker

Sailboats arguably have the greatest risk when it comes to lightning. Bluewater sailors almost universally use a system that carries the strike along the metal shrouds (steel wires) that support the mast and into large grounding plates well below the waterline. The system creates a "cone of protection" around the deck and cabins below. Certainly the effect is to attract to some degree but the results are generally very good. Often the problem with home systems is the failure to maintain the conductors and their fittings, or poor design at the beginning. If I lived in a lightning prone area I would certainly use one.
Let's all be careful out there tomorrow. Lt40hd, 22' Kenworth Flatbed rollback dump, MM45B Mitsubishi trackhoe, Clark5000lb Forklift, Kubota L2850 tractor

little Bark

 I grew up living in an old farm house that had lighting rods.  I never heard lighting strik the house. We don't get big storms like they do in the middle states.
Always use the rite tool for the job.

Bibbyman



Yesterday son Chris came out from Shawnee Mission, KS to visit.  He had logged for about a year and was pretty good with a chain saw.  So I put him to good use and had him fall the red oak that had been blown up by lightning last spring.

We cut the main tunk into two logs and I ran it throgh the Blockbuster.  It was pre-split and pre-dried.  It made about a half a cord of wood just out of the main trunk.

Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

SwampDonkey

That's a nice sized tree. I have a 25 " yellow birch (Old growth) that is clear for only 16 feet. I figure around 1/2 of a cord in that log. There is a lot of top wood though with large limbs. Pictures from awhile back in the gallery.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

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