I have 2 Maple trees that are probably 25 years old & 40-50 ft high. They both have slices in the bark going up about 8-10 feet from the ground & the bark is peeled away from the trunk about 4-5 inches on both sides. What has caused this and why only these 2 trees and not the others?
Mike
Where are you? What kind of maple? What side of the trunk (compass orientation)? Is the bark anomaly associated with any other deformation of the wood beneath?
I'm in Miid-Michigan. Not sure what kind of Maple it is, there were planted when I was much younger. The splits are on southeast side of the trees. The wood underneath doesn't appear to have any deformations
Mike
Sounds like a frost crack. One side of the bark heats up on cold, sunny days. When the sun goes down, the rapid temp differential cause rapid contraction of the warmed area resulting in a crack. Call a consulting arborist if you want to pursue this. Check the ASCA directory at
Hi Mike,
Just guessing, but could it possibly be lightning strikes? I know of several trees around my area that have been hit by lightning that look something like this.
Expanding and contracting of moisture just below the bark can cause the same thing if trunks get heavy sun during a spell of intense cold. Your local county extension service can usually tell you if a problem has been common in your area. Their advice is free.
Could be improper pruning such as flush cuts.
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Also tree may have been planted too deep and have girdling roots. Do you have any cracks coming from the base?
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