Gunnison news-champion., 1912-11-01
n SANE SPOT 1Nn
Forest aaneers Say lIghtanS
Does Repeat Ssro&e.
. v-s< 0nse ss-aSs 10 rnsrssy sse.
seree More lissss - . sseeos
osas--eerson 10 ssser STAND
INC gnesr . Tree.

~sshiastOa- does strike
sSics N The same place. sesYits the
aid sayins Rangers In the rational
forests report tkas ssagle tress are
often strucs many siBses Indeed.
hey say shat a tree thai has seen
ssaaened by a former ssrose is more
liable 10 a second attack the DRY. dead
branches appear % ss better eonaae'
soEs
In Q report Fred O Pilmaser eeoe
rspner In the forest service. expiodss
also the theory that IN a thunderstorm
person is safer IN the open than
sader a tree
n has often been stated he saws.
that the majority OF persons killed by
lightning sought refuge under trees.
but this is not a fact. More than one
half OF such deaths occur In the open
and less than ose-agartsr under trees.
The tree under which the person
stands catches and absorbs the force
of the stroke. The greatest danger Is
from secondary shocks or from fiyiRg
spliBters from the shattered tree A
person standing out IN the open. being
the most prominent object. attracts
and receives the direct stroke OF any
electric current that may come near
him
Mr. Plummer saws that lightning
strikes more frequently IN New Mext
40 and Arizona than IN any other sec
tion OF the country. though there are
more thuRderstorms In Florida and
illinois
He reviews some OF the curious
early and present beliefs and theories
about the immunity of some trees
from lightning stroke. Late expert
ments and observations seem to bear
out such . theory. While It has not
been practically established. II is con
sidered certain that some trees are
more liable to stroke than others
Fiber. structure shape and degree of
moisture probably account for the i'm
munity or liability On this subject
he says:
From early times there has been a
belief that certain trees more than
others are likely to be struck by light
ming The elder Pliny said Lightning
never strikes the laurel This tree was
also called bay, and wreaths OF its
leaves were worn by ancient rulers,
both as a symbol of victory and as a
protection from the lightning Of the
gods. Seneca and Plutarch held simi-
lar beliefs. which may be traced down
sven to modern times; but the theory
- nov held includes a number of
trees. differing IN various countries.
This belief Was so firmly established
that such trees as the beech and To-
Gust. supposed to be effective in ward
tns on lightning. were planted near
dwellings
To this day there are many who
still insist that the beech is never
struck. while in parts of the United
states the aspen is considered i'm
mune from lightning On the other
hand. II was believed that such trees
~ the oak. particularly cork oak. had
very bad reputation for attracting
lightning, and this belief prevails even
now. There 10 . proverb: Avoid the
oak, nee from the spruce but seek the
beech And also:
beware the oak n draws the stroke:
Avoid the ash. II courts the fash:
Creep under the thorn. twill save from
harm"
Mr. Piummer reports that incom-
plste forest records show that 76.301
trees have been struck In the na-
tiOnal forests of the west during the
post four years. The records have
not been kept for the whole of that
period In all the territory affected and
un1sr the supervision of the bureau.
LigAtninG causes many of the ae-
etructive forest fres