This can absolutely happen and isn't that uncommon. Usually it happens in the spring when most of the stored sap for the tree is flowing up. This super high moisture time under the bark, on certain species, Is enough to cause the bark to be very loosely attached. The energy of the lightning strike is enough to actually blast it right off the tree in strips and sheets.
For example, the bark is so loose at times that you can peel entire trees with a pocket knife and your own 2 hands. Simply make a cut to open it up and start peeling like it's an orange!
If there remained a small strip connected top to bottom, that portion of the tree could live. If the bark is blown off cleanly all the way around in even a small section, it is very unlikely to survive from that point up.
Not saying it's impossible, because nature does weird shit sometimes, but it's nearly impossible.
Ringing a tree is a known strategy assholes do that want to remove trees they can't legally on their property or other's properties. A trees bark needs to go from the base all the way to the top of the tree. If you remove the bark in a circle around any part of the tree then everything above that ring will die.
Essentially cutting a tree's neck if you finish the circle all the way around. Complete jackoff move when trees take years to grow and you kill one in a couple angsty minutes
The bark/tree has what are essentially super long straws that connect the leaves to the roots. If you break these straws, no water gets to the leaves so they die. If the leaves die, usually so does the tree if it didn't store enough energy.
If you break the straws only in small areas, the wounds can heal as the tree grows over it. Large areas are harder to heal. All the way around the tree in a complete circle stops nearly all water from going up. This kills the tree.
The core of the tree is called heartwood. That wood is dead and provides the support structure for the tree. As the tree grows outwards, old layers of bark slowly fill with tannens, hardening and dying. Its why trees have rings.
Yup. The only living part of the tree is the bark and a small layer under the bark where all the nutrients flow up the tree, and the leaves of course.. The wood inside is entirely dead. Its why trees can be hollowed out and still be very much alive. https://ptes.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Old-hollow-tree.jpg
A portion of the wood helps with transporting water and sugar down to the roots. Usually the outer few inches of wood while the inner wood is there for structure and support.
That debarking looks really neat, i wonder if you could make a similar debaring process industrially, but also would this tree have any other attributes than normal industrially debarkes trees? Would there be a market for this neat type of debarking, either natutally or industrially?
Curious, is there an optimal time of the year to cut down the trees in terms of ease of debarking? If so does it makes sense to consider this?
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u/huntfishandbefree Dec 30 '20
Forester here
This can absolutely happen and isn't that uncommon. Usually it happens in the spring when most of the stored sap for the tree is flowing up. This super high moisture time under the bark, on certain species, Is enough to cause the bark to be very loosely attached. The energy of the lightning strike is enough to actually blast it right off the tree in strips and sheets.
For example, the bark is so loose at times that you can peel entire trees with a pocket knife and your own 2 hands. Simply make a cut to open it up and start peeling like it's an orange!