Yes they can...
Can trees survive Lightning Strike?
Very common and do survive multiple strikes...
Three Arborists working in a multiple struck iron bark (Eucalyptus sp.) yesterday (myself behind camera and two others) in pics below and linked...
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=465826#post465826
The tree was condemmed by Local Council Arborist and demanded removal, I was referred to client through a number of other Arborists, climbed VTA (visual tree inspection) wrote report with accompanying photos successfully challenging Council condemnation and this is part of the recommended works underway...
Other Arborist/Climber in green is CEO of "ABCT" (Australian Bio-Active Compost Tea)
http://abct.com.au/
which has been advised for application along with an extensive remediation program...(He spent 2 years in Boston with Boston tree care)...
The work we were doing yesterday was dead wooding, remedial pruning (remedying faults in structure and form etc), crown thinning, reduction of wind sail area, weight reduction and further inspection for addendum of report and further recommendations...
You can see the dates on the attachments so some pics taken yesterdy and some from first climb and can see one of the two identical exit wounds of a strike... The report is pushing nearly twenty pages now so wont get into it needles to say its exciting stuff...
First pic shows spliting and de-laminating of the bark on a major limb facing East.
Second pic shows dead old apex of crown now nearly entirely calloused over with 15' plus of crown now well above this point.
Third pic shows one of the exit wounds from a strike.
Fourth pic shows Tree from driveway.
