Some trees actually benefit from getting struck by lightning

Lightning is both terrifying and fascinating. It splits trees, ignites wildfires, and streaks across the sky in brilliant flashes. Most of us see it as a force of destruction – random, violent, and final.

But in the depths of Panama’s tropical forests, trees of the species Dipteryx oleifera challenges that idea. For these trees, lightning isn’t deadly – it might actually help them survive.

This surprising twist comes from a study published in New Phytologist.

Led by forest ecologist Evan Gora from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the research shows that these trees not only survive lightning strikes – they grow stronger because of them. With their tall crowns and wide branches, Dipteryx trees seem built to welcome the storm.

The finding reshapes how we understand forest ecology. Instead of being random, lightning may play a targeted role in helping certain trees dominate, survive, and thrive.

Trees that survive lightning strikes

Back in 2015, Gora was deep in Panama’s forests when something unusual caught his eye.

A Dipteryx oleifera had been struck by lightning, yet stood tall and mostly unharmed. The strike had been powerful enough to destroy a parasitic vine clinging to its crown and kill more than a dozen trees nearby.

“Seeing that there are trees that get struck by lightning and they’re fine was just mind-blowing,” said Gora.

Intrigued, Gora and his team started paying closer attention to lightning-hit Dipteryx trees. They kept finding the same pattern. The trees lived and thrived. It wasn’t a fluke. Nature had something more deliberate in store.

When lightning hits, these trees win

By 2022, the team had already shown that trees vary in their ability to survive lightning. The new research takes this idea even further.

Using advanced lightning detection tools, the scientists tracked the fate of 93 trees that had endured strikes in Panama’s Barro Colorado Nature Monument.

Among those were nine Dipteryx oleifera, which had all survived. The damage was minimal – some singed bark, a few lost leaves.

In stark contrast, other species hit by lightning lost 5.7 times more foliage and suffered high mortality rates. Within two years, 64% of them had died.

The Dipteryx trees, meanwhile, gained space and freedom. Lightning killed surrounding trees, often as electricity traveled through vines, branches, or short air gaps. On average, each strike wiped out 9.2 nearby trees. That’s not just survival – that’s a strategic clearing of rivals.

Lightning removes parasitic vines

Parasitic vines, or lianas, are a constant threat in tropical forests. They drain trees of light and nutrients, making growth a struggle. But for Dipteryx, lightning works like a scythe. After a strike, liana infestations dropped by 78%, freeing the trees from their tangled burdens.

This effect wasn’t limited to a few cases. Across the forest, Dipteryx trees consistently hosted fewer lianas than other species. Even trees that hadn’t been struck appeared to benefit from the trend. Lightning, in this case, didn’t just act on individuals – it shaped the structure of the entire forest around them.

Over time, the survivors grew taller. Drone-based 3D canopy models showed that Dipteryx trees stood about four meters above their closest neighbors. That height advantage isn’t coincidence. It likely comes from losing nearby competition, letting them reach higher into the sunlit canopy.

Some trees get hit more often

The researchers noted that their data provide the first evidence that some trees benefit from being struck by lightning. “It’s better off for a Dipteryx oleifera tree to be struck than not,” said Gora.

Why would lightning keep targeting the same kind of tree? The answer might lie in their shape.

Dipteryx trees often grow taller and spread wider than those around them. According to the study’s calculations, this makes them up to 68% more likely to get hit. Their crowns act like natural lightning rods.

And that’s not a problem. It’s part of their edge. In fact, it may be a key to their success in these chaotic, dense ecosystems.

Lightning strikes and stronger trees

Lightning may seem rare, but for Dipteryx oleifera, it’s a regular part of life. Each tree is struck once every 56 years on average.

And they don’t just endure – they adapt. These trees live for centuries, possibly more than a thousand years. That means a single tree might be struck more than ten times over its lifetime.

One tree in the study was hit twice in five years. It didn’t weaken. And with each strike, it gained more room, more light, and more strength. The lightning wasn’t ending its life. It was clearing the way for it to flourish.

Even reproduction gets a boost. Gora’s team found that lightning tolerance increased the tree’s ability to produce offspring by 14 times compared to trees that lacked that resilience.

A new role for lightning in ecology

This research opens up a new way of seeing forest ecosystems. Lightning isn’t just a threat – it’s a selective force.

Gora’s team now plans to examine how Dipteryx trees survive these extreme strikes. Are certain internal structures, chemicals, or traits at play? And more importantly, do other species show similar strengths?

Understanding this could be vital. With climate change driving up the frequency of lightning in many tropical areas, trees like Dipteryx oleifera may gain an even bigger edge. That could shift the balance of forest biodiversity and influence carbon storage patterns for decades to come.

The study is published in the journal New Phytologist.

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