This Kills Million Of Trees Each Year

If a tree gets struck by lightning in the woods, does anyone count it?

Well, the scientists behind a new study in Global Change Biology do. Using new analysis of lightning data from around the world, the study shows that lightning kills 320 million trees a year.

That figure is much higher than previously thought.

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As researchers found, lightning has a particularly large impact on forests in the tropics. That’s because lightning density is high in tropical regions, but also because tall trees are more vulnerable to lightning strikes.

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“Understanding the drivers of tree mortality is … crucial to adequately project forest dynamics and carbon storage in a changing climate,” Andreas Kraus, the lead author of the study, explained.

Lightning kills enough trees annually to release one billion tons of carbon dioxide, they found. Though we often think of wildfires as a major contributor to climate change, lightning strikes release a comparable amount of carbon from living plants.

The study does not include wildfires caused by lightning strikes in the 320 million figure.

As the climate changes, higher heat and humidity conditions will likely intensify the density and impact of lightning strikes. That means tropical regions will likely lose even more trees to lightning strikes in coming years.

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The authors of the study suggest that the impact of lightning on trees will increase in more temperate latitudes, as well.

Weather.com writer Wyatt Williams is exploring the relationship between climate, food, agriculture, and the natural world.