Protecting Trees from Lightning Strikes

[Music Playing] Dave Epstein: Hi! I am Dave Epstein and this is Growing Wisdom and we are talking lightning protection with Dave Ropes, they were looking at a large sugar maple tree that needs some protection from lightning and actually has some in there, you were showing me earlier. And, you know -- at home might not think about your tree needing a system to protect it from lightning, but if lightning hits a tree, it can really do a number -- a couple years ago, it hit right across the street and blew out all my electronics. I lost my TV, I lost the computer and it all had to be replaced. Dave Ropes: Yes, absolutely I mean that is what we stressed with our clients is you are not just protecting the tree, but you are protecting the adjacent structure, you know, your house. What happens very often is that if a tree is struck, there is side flashing, branches of lightning coming off of the main bolt and they will get into the house. A lightning protection system, because it is copper, attracts more of the lightning and then just transfers all that energy right down to the ground where it is safely dissipated. Dave Epstein: What actually, physically happens to a tree when it gets hit by lightning? Dave Ropes: Well, what happens is that the water and all the cells is instantly boiled, turns to vapor and that is why we see the exploding, the splitting, bark flying, I mean, you can find bits of woods several hundreds yards away after a tree has been hit. Dave Epstein: So, Dave you have got some pretty cool stuff here. Obviously, I know this is copper. This is -- go on top of the tree? Dave Ropes: No, that is a ground plate, which is -- we dig a whole or if we can pound it into the ground. So, that is what is going to take the lightning from the terminal. This being the terminal, this goes at the very top of the tree or pretty much is high as you can get it and then that is attached to this copper cable right here. And, these are pounded into the trunk all the way down and the cable is affixed to this posts. And then it ends up going into the ground plate. This is a plate and this is a rod here, which we will use in a deeper, loamier soil. We can get away with the ground rod. In a sandier soil, it does not hold as much moisture; we need the more surfaced area that we get from the plate device. Dave Epstein: How much is something like this to protect? Dave Ropes: Right now, to do a single terminal, 75-foot high tree which is about what this is, it is going to run you between $1,250.00 and $100.00, but it is a very low maintenance and for all intents and purposes, permanent installation. Dave Epstein: So, certainly a couple of plasma TVs, a computer, and some other electronics in the house, it is well-worth the cost of putting in the lightning protection system. Well, that is our show entail lightning protection for today. Come back every week for all of out tips, hints and helps here at GrowingWisdom.com. [Music Playing]