Nope, they are not always the tallest tree because they have lost their tops from the hurricanes, which is why they are dying to begin with.
Even brush that has been sprayed an is dying will attract lightening even when there is a 100’ tree close by.
“Are you suggesting that because oil develops from dead vegetation that there is some relationship?”
How in the world did you dream that up from what I said?
The oil leak kills the plants.
The trees that lose their tops are already rotting from the inside out. otherwise the whole tree would fall over. Trees that do that are usually what are called apex trees. They are the first trees to sprout after a fire or lightning strike. The grow fast and tall and provide cover for the slower growing, longer lived trees that make up the forest. It’s a natural life cycle that has nothing to do with oil.