The Morton Arboretum is using an advanced lightning protection system for many trees in our collections. The system can equip a tree so that lightning will be conducted harmlessly into the soil.

“The new system uses specially designed fasteners, called Arborbolts, that further protect the tree by reducing the size and number of wounds that must be made,” says Kris Bachtell, the Arboretum’s vice president of collections and facilities.

A fuse allows Arboretum arborists to determine if a tree was struck and demonstrates the effectiveness of the system.