Learn when a tree damaged by lightning may need removal, what warning signs to watch for, and why professional assessment matters. Homeowners looking into Tree Removal After Lightning Strikes are usually dealing with a tree that looked perfectly normal before a storm rolled through. Lightning can hit a tree in seconds and leave behind anything from a strip of missing bark to a badly split trunk or broken limbs hanging overhead. The hard part is figuring out whether the tree can recover or if the strike left it too damaged to safely keep around the house.