re: Tree Struck by Lightning Question

Agree with your take that pines typically die after a strike. I have a 30 foot or so cypress tree in my yard that I know has had two strikes. Some bark peeled off a little at top after the strikes and that SOB never wavered. Read that cypress trees have apparently evolved over centuries to survive lightening strikes.

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Won't insurance actually pay to have it removed?

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Probably not unless it is blocking access to your property, or has caused damage to a covered structure or outbuilding.
I ran into this when lighting struck a 50-60 ft. tall tree on my mom's property literally 2 days before it was going on the market after her estate was settled.
It was not covered, even though the tree was split in half from the top about 1/3 of the way down, and was hanging over the utility feed to both hers and the neighbor's house, as well as being a hazard to both structures.
Sure enough, policy is written to keep from having to cover an issue like this.
My guess is that your policy is written the same way. Hope not, good luck!

It’s a goner. If if it lives a few years there is enough dead wood that will rot out it will fall over. I’d go ahead and remove it.

Update - everyone who looked at the tree said the same thing:


Tree is now down on the ground and my wallet is a bit lighter. Surprisingly, State Farm kicked in $750 to the cause. Go figure.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice folks.

Because it was struck by lightning, that's what kicks in the $750. If it was just a dying tree, we wouldn't pay out on that.

Always remember, insurance is for "a sudden and/or immediate loss due to an insurable peril"