Think about that big oak tree in your front yard. Chances are you place some sort of value on it. After all, it shades the house and offers a cool place to relax on a hot summer day. But every time a storm moves overhead, your tree is in danger. A single lightning strike could end its life in a split second.
Trees can be protected from lightning damage by installing a lightning protection cable on the tree. This measure may sound a little silly at first, but it's not 'going out on a limb' to say that it's definately a wise idea, especially if you value that big oak in your front yard.
"Generally, a tree can have a lightning cable system installed on it for around $1500," notes Helen Southall of West Virginia Tree Expert and Nursery Co. in Ripley. "In most cases, that's less than it would cost to have the tree cut down after it got struck."
Indeed, removal expenses for a single tree can total more than $2000. Not only that, in some cases the loss of a large tree may reduce property value, and obviously have a significant impact on the overall appearance of a landscape.
Tree lightning protection systems are simply heavy, grounded cables
attached to the trunk and running out along the tree's main branches.
They'll divert a lightning strike's current safely to ground with no
harm to the tree.
Most tree service companies offer lightning protection installations. Look in the Yellow Pages under 'Tree Services'. If you live in the Charleston-Parkersburg WV area and have a tree that you'd like to protect, give West Virginia Tree Expert and Nursery Co. a call at (304) 372-6382.
What can I do for a lightning-damaged tree?
Unfortunately, tree specialists say that there's not much that can be done for a tree that has lost a significant amount of bark. It's best to take measures to protect your tree before lightning strikes.
My work is, at this very moment you are reading this, generating the most income it ever has in my career. Yet, I was forced to shut down the professional side of my successul operation, against my will, due to one cause alone: 95% of that revenue is being stolen by piracy and copyright infringement. I've lost more than $1 million to copyright infringement in the last 15 years, and it's finally brought an end to my professional storm chasing operation. Do not be misled by the lies of infringers, anti-copyright activists and organized piracy cartels. This page is a detailed, evidenced account of my battle I had to undertake to just barely stay in business, and eventually could not overcome. It's a problem faced by all of my colleagues and most other creators in the field.
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From Dan: Please Read
To my regular readers, I offer my apologies for this heavy-handed notice. Unfortunately it has become necessary, so please bear with me!
Please don't copy/upload this site's content to social media or other web sites. Those copies have been a critical problem for me, seriously harming this site and my photography/storm chasing operation by diverting traffic, viewers, engagement and income. "Credit" and "exposure" does not benefit this site or my operation, rather they threaten my ability to cover my operating expenses. Please read my full explanation for this notice here.
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This chase was a routine television assignment in my role as a cameraman. As a result, many of these don't have a dedicated chase log.
This chase was only recorded in my mileage reports, no detailed log was written for it.
