LIGHTNING STRIKES AND RESULTANT FIRES FROM ARCHIVAL (1912-1917) AND CURRENT (1960-1997) INFORMATION IN PENNSYLVANIA

Archival information was searched for evidence of lightning strikes an d subsequent ignitions in Pennsylvania forests. Between 1912-1917, twe nty-eight different tree species were struck by lightning 2553 times i gniting 77 individual trees. These data probably underestimate the num ber of ignited fires due to rugged terrain, inefficient fire reporting , and minimal fire control resources of this early era. Lightning stri kes occurred most often between June-August, peaking in July with 877 strikes. These data provide direct evidence that lightning strikes ant tree ignitions occur relatively frequently in Pennsylvania forests. R ecent data provide substantial evidence for large areas burned by ligh tning ignitions during drought years in the past thirty-seven years.