Which trees are most prone to lightning strike?

Lightning doesn’t always strike the tallest object in the landscape, but at any given location, the taller a tree grows, the more likely it is to be struck, especially if in an exposed, isolated position. The famous arborist Alan Mitchell considered giant sequoia, which grows very rapidly and soon outstrips trees in the surrounding canopy, to be particularly prone, citing several examples of potentially record-breaking specimens that never made it into the record books because their leading shoots were destroyed by thunderbolts.

Oak is said to be especially vulnerable, but this impression might be because these trees are so long-lived and are exposed to more thunderstorms during their lifetime, and perhaps have a better capacity than most to survive damage. Ash and sycamore are also candidates, but this might be because they are very common and widely distributed, so conspicuously damaged specimens are more often encountered. Phil Gates