The Lightning Tree

Near Foxburrow Road

The commemorative Oak, near the 1886 Cafe, planted in 1939 to celebrate the London County Council's Golden Jubilee, was struck by lightning in a violent storm that shook Hainault Forest around 2am in the morning during September 2024. When lightning strikes a tree, the immense electrical charge and extreme heat instantly vaporises the water and sap inside the trunk. This expanding steam creates intense pressure, which can lead to the bark exploding into pieces, the tree being split, and in some cases, the tree being completely destroyed. Splintered wood from this lightning strike was thrown some distance and a scar was left down one side of the tree. This is a good example of why it is never wise to stand under a tree during a thunderstorm.