A lightning protection system is one way to protect mature trees that have high value. The protection system consists of copper conductor wires that run from the top of the tree (and sometimes major lateral limbs) into the soil. 

An air-spade tool is used o trench six to eight inches deep for the cable to run from the tree trunk out to beyond the drip line. The cables are then attached to copper coated ground rods which are driven 10 feet into the ground. The purpose of the cables and rods is to carry the lightning's energy away from the tree's vascular system (the tree's conductive tissue) into the ground far from the tree and majority of the root system.

Knowing the value of protecting specimen trees, The Tree Care Industry Association and the Lightning Protection Institute have developed standards for lightning protection installation specifically for trees which Kramer Tree Specialists adheres to.