I can't claim any sort of originality on this - I got it off cloudy nights and felt a need to share with everyone who considers the only good tree is a horizonal one.
We've got a few tall palms close to our observatory and while not overly in the way, it would be better without them. I tell people that we should get a chainsaw and call it "Lightning". Then when a tree is felled we can honestly say it was struck by "Lightning"!