Holes in Big Tree

[bignadad]

i have a tree that i have in my front yard that has holes all throughout it. some holes are large and some are small and in a almost perfect line.

i think the tree is a sweetgum. it has the pollen balls that fall in the spring.

the tree did get hit by lightning about 5 years ago. the top has had large branches that have fallen and it looks bad.

is it a termite problem?

i have pictures at the following address
http://www.bakerabilenemachine.com/1.jpg
http://www.bakerabilenemachine.com/2.jpg

[Dr.wood]

i see the smaller holes in rows often and are not a huge concern to me however the lager decaying holes are deffinately a concern and given the fact that the tree has been struck by lightning its not looking good

[TreeFrog]

When a tree gets hit by lightning and survives often it will not heal completely and over time it will need to be removed for safety puroposes

[rbtree]

Ryan, tree's don't heal, they seal.......

The rows of small holes are typically formed by sap****ers. They can damage a tree when there's a lot of them.

Other holes as shown in the original poster's photos are formed by birds going after decay chewing insects, or the bugs themselves. Typically they just go for decaying wood, and leave sound tissue alone.

As for lightning damage, it varies in severity. Many lightning strikes are survivable, even for the long term.