Tree Benefits from being Struck by Lightning

 A tree would not want to be struck by lightning, or would it? A new study by Dr. Gora, a forest ecologist, shows that one rainforest tree is not only surviving lightning strikes but is thriving. Dr. Gora and his team have visited sites of trees that had been struck by lighting. In the research out of the 86 trees witnessed only 7 had survived. Then Dr. Gora had found something extraordinary. The Dipteryx oleifera had not only survived the strike, but grew around 30 percent taller afterwards. In one instance recalled by Dr. Gora the surrounding 57 trees had died around the one surviving Dipteryx oleifera.

Lightning strikes tend to kill over half of the trees that are struck. For the Dipteryx oleifera lightning seems to be a benefit for the tree. The physiology is still unknown to what exactly the reasoning behind this phenomena is. The study and observations show that lighting aids in the tree's growth. 

References

Article: https: //www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/science/trees-lightning-rainforest.html

Research: https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/nph.70062