Peace of mind and protection when lightning strikes
In an average year lightning destroys more property and causes more injuries than either hurricanes or tornadoes. If your home is located on high ground, in an exposed location or has tall trees, the odds of a lightning strike hitting your property is higher than average. Your home and special trees and buildings on your property are worth extra protection.
Professionally-installed lightning protection can provide both protection and peace of mind. What makes our systems work? The purpose of a lightning protection system is to provide a specified path on which the lightning can travel. When lightning is drawn to an object the system takes the destructive power of the strike and directs it to the ground — leaving your home, trees and structures intact.
How did a tree company get interested in providing lightning protection? First and foremost we began installing systems in trees because trees are particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes. Trees are struck far more often than other objects, in part because of their height, but also because their moisture content makes them even more attractive for an electric current. Central Virginia is home to a great number of historic – and valuable – trees on residential properties, commercial properties and estates. Protecting the long-term livelihood of trees is essential to what we do, and lightning protection in trees has helped us do this for more than 60 years.
Van Yahres Tree Company also learned the destructive capability lightning can have on buildings first-hand in 1958. That summer the company shop in Cismont was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Everything was lost but one truck and the tools that were in it. We rebuilt our shop in town in a low lying area – but as you might guess – our new building does include a Van Yahres Tree Company-installed lightning protection system.
- Listed with Underwriters Laboratory
- Member, Lightning Protection Institute
More information: Lightning Protection Institute