I was wondering if lightning was “drawn” to some particular species of trees. I have a vague childhood recollection of my grandmother conversing with someone about one of their friends planting poplar trees far away from their house in order to draw the lightning away from their residence. I also remember reading that in old Norse culture, oak trees were considered “Thor’s tree” because they got struck by lightning more than other trees.
So, is there any truth to any of this notion, or is it, in Sheldon Cooper’s words, “pure hokum”. Any information would be appreciated!
I’d expect tall trees would tend to get hit more. Possibly also a difference between trees that tend to grow in forests versus solitary. You’d want to correct for that for any differences between species.
Also correct for species that tend to grow in regions with higher lightning strike incidence versus those that grow in regions which don’t get many thunderstorms.
It really is just the tallest object that is more likely to be hit. So always stay away from tall trees, and trees with horizontal branches (because if they are struck branches may fall). If you are caught out in thunderstorm, crouch with feet together under something low and bushy and wet - current may be diverted around you by the multiple paths to earth.
No cite, but from what I have been told some species are damaged more heavily if they are struck. That means that after the fact you will find more trees of certain species that have obviously been blown to bits by lightning. It is easy to imagine how that could give the wrong impression.
The oak is the proverbial tree to avoid in a thunderstorms in Germany, too. I have heard explanations that blame the high surface area of their bark, but I am not sure if that’s really it.
The Wiki page for lightning has a section on trees where it states that the two most frequently struck tree types are the oak and the elm, with pine an honorable mention.
The Oak wiki page tells how it is related to gods of thunder or lightning and mentions “There has even been a study that shows that oaks are more likely to be struck by lightning than any other tree of the same height” but the link to the study is missing.
Some trees are better conductors than others. The moisture content inside an oak supposedly makes it a good conductor while beech has a high oil content which makes them less conductive. It is apparently rare for a beech to suffer a lightning strike.
If you search lightning tree species, there is a lot of information, but nothing definitive. Poplar is also usually listed as one of the more commonly hit trees. I don’t know if the OP’s grandmother picked poplar for a reason, or just because it’s a tall tree, but I think the idea is sound.