Lightning strikes are responsible for the deaths of approximately 320 million trees worldwide each year, according to a new study, not counting trees destroyed by fires sparked by lightning. This confirms the long-standing advice to avoid standing under trees during storms.
Until now, global estimates were unclear, as observing lightning-related tree deaths is difficult. Previous studies were limited to specific forests. To gain a broader perspective, researchers at the Technical University of Munich combined available field observations with global vegetation maps and regional lightning patterns.
The team’s analysis not only estimated the number of trees killed by lightning annually but also identified the most affected areas and evaluated the impacts on carbon storage and forest structure, said Andreas Krause, lead author of the study published in Global Change Biology.
The study found that direct lightning strikes release roughly one billion tons of CO₂ per year, accelerating climate change. By comparison, forest fires emit about 5.85 billion tons of CO₂ annually, though they also burn dead trees and organic soil material.
Researchers warn that tree losses from lightning are likely to rise as climate change intensifies storms. Currently, tropical forests experience the highest mortality rates from lightning, but models predict an increase in strikes at mid- and high-latitudes, meaning temperate and northern forests could face growing risks in the coming years.
