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These Trees Love Lightning Strikes - Videos from The Weather Channel

These Trees Love Lightning Strikes

July 26, 2025

Scientists have suspected that direct lightning strikes are good for some trees, but now they’ve confirmed it. A new study shows that a tall tropical tree species called Dipteryx oleifera has evolved to become 68% more likely to be jolted by a bolt of lightning. Scientists who studied six years of data in a Panama rainforest think that’s because lightning kills pests and neighboring competitors, making it easier for the species to survive. “It's better off for a Dipteryx oleifera tree to be struck than not,” said lead author Evan Gora, a forest ecologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.