Lightning damage is thought to be responsible for approximately 2 percent of the annual tree mortality in the region. However, many more trees are slightly damaged than are killed by lightning. Killed trees are often blown apart at impact or soon colonized by bark beetles. Damage is in the form of a long narrow furrow in which the bark and a thin layer of wood are blown out. Sometimes, but not always, lightning damage can result in internal decay that may provide cavity-nesting habitat for wildlife.

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