This happened at my parents' house several years ago. I never really paid much attention to it until a few days ago.
Tree is partially split all the way from top to near bottom, except for a intact short section in the middle. Maybe it was struck twice?

Pine trees are natures lightning magnets...

Worst tree to have anywhere near your house.

Amazed that hasn't rotted out and died, had one like that behind the casa de hrk, one year later
it was a stick, dead as a door knob

I've seen this before, lightning will follow the path of least (electrical) resistance. If that path doesn't affect the bark/wood of the tree, it will happily route around it. Maybe a water or sap trail on the surface of the tree sufficient to conduct the current. Or maybe magic, who knows?

A maple in my front yard was struck with a similar vertical open scar. I had to take it down after it decided it was done as it became more unstable.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Amazed that hasn't rotted out and died, had one like that behind the casa de hrk, one year later
it was a stick, dead as a door knob

Yeah, amazing is right. I asked all my brothers and sisters if they remember exactly when. None can recall, but for sure it has been more than 10 years.

I took a forestry class at the Community college.

We took a field trip to view damaged, sick ,ailing and disfigured trees.

They showed a a thirty five y.o. tree that was hit by lightning.

Despite it being split open and set on fire,
It continued to grow , year after year,
Not a single dead twig, no dead leaves, no loss of limbs.

As long as the cambium xylem and phlome did their job, it percivered .


But the ugliest nastiest trunk you could imagine.

I had one that looked exactly like that after a lightning strike but the crack went all the way down to the ground. It was 85' tall and cost a ton to have it taken down.