How do you treat a tree that has a split bark?
Damaged areas of the bark or limbs should not be filled with a sealer or painted. Lightly trimming the wound (tracing the injury with a sharp knife) to help the tree compartmentalize the exposed area and wrapping the damaged area with a light-colored tree wrap can help accelerate the healing process.
What does bark splitting on a tree mean?
Sloughing or peeling of the bark is a normal process, especially in the spring when the tree begins to grow, and is more noticeable in some species than in others. The outer layers of bark are dead tissue and can- not grow, so the outer bark must split in order for the tree to grow in diameter.
What do cracks in tree trunk mean?
Cracks in tree trunks can be one of the major indicators of an unstable tree. Most cracks are caused by improper closure of wounds or by the splitting of weak branch unions. They can be found in branches, stems or roots, and vary in type and severity.
Why is my maple tree splitting?
Maples are thin-barked trees and prone to splitting in a cold winter. The fact that your damage is on the south side also adds up since the sun tends to warm that part of the tree the fastest on winter mornings. (Sudden thawing of frozen sap is what causes winter splits.)
Why is my maple tree cracking?
Dry weather (which slows growth) followed by wet or ideal growth conditions may cause an excessive or vigorous amount of growth leading to splits in the bark. Sunscald, especially in winter months, can cause bark injury to thin-barked or young trees.
Why is my maple tree bark splitting?
What causes vertical cracks in tree bark?
Frost cracks are most likely to occur when there are larger fluctuations between daytime and night-time temperatures. In winter, sunny days with warm temperatures heat up the tree’s bark and its internal layers near the bark’s surface, causing them to expand.
Why is my maple trees bark splitting?
Why do maple trees crack?
It usually occurs on the south or southwest side of the tree and is a response to extreme fluctuation in temps between night and day. A sudden drop in the temperature causes the outer layer of wood to contract more rapidly than the inner layer, which results in a long vertical crack at weak points in the trunk.