Landscape, stand and tree characteristics influence the distribution of lightning damage in Central African forests

Abstract The impact of lightning in tropical forests remains uncertain. Specifically, the factors that influence the spatial distribution of lightning damage within forests remain unknown. Here, we investigate the distribution of direct lightning‐caused damage across different spatial scales in two Central African forests: a montane forest in Uganda and a lowland forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We surveyed a total of 134 km of forest transects and identified 121 lightning strike locations. First, we investigated at the landscape scale how topography and elevation relate to lightning‐caused damage using generalized linear mixed models. Second, we investigated at the stand scale how trees' relative size and species identity affect strike patterns. For this, we compared focal trees (those directly struck) to their immediate neighbours using generalized linear models, testing how relative canopy height, relative crown area and species explained likelihood of showing evidence of strikes. At the landscape scale, we found that trees on ridges were significantly more likely to show lightning‐caused damage than those in valleys ( β = −1.44, p = 0.008). At the stand level, greater relative canopy height increased lightning damage probability, particularly in the lowland forest ( β = 1.62, p = 0.001). Crown area also increased lightning damage likelihood in the montane forest, though not in the lowland forest. Species differed in their likelihood to show lightning damage, independent of size. Our findings suggest that ridges shield lower‐lying areas, leading to spatially uneven disturbance. In addition, larger and more exposed trees and certain tree species show lightning‐caused damage more frequently, suggesting that lightning is a selective phenomena, potentially shaping forest structure and composition. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.