M THE DAILY INSIGHT
// news

Why did my maple tree trunk split?

By Emily Wong

Why did my maple tree trunk split?

Winter freezing and thawing caused the trunk to split on this maple. 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.

Can a splitting tree be saved?

Can a tree survive a split tree trunk? It is possible to save a split tree trunk if the split is not extensive. You can use nuts and bolts to join the split trunk to help it heal. If the tree’s damaged area is less than 25% of the trunk’s circumference, it can heal gradually and survive.

Can a tree with a split trunk be saved?

Why is the bark peeling off my Crimson King Maple?

My Crimson King Maple is quite large and old and has always had some bark loosening on the south side of the tree. However, it is becoming more pronounced and causing deeper cracks in the tree trunk. Could this be fatal to the tree, and should there be some intervention?

What causes the bark on a maple tree to split?

Maples (Acer) as well as oaks (Quercus), linden (Tilia) and crabapple (Malus) trees we grow in Michigan are all susceptible to bark splitting. This is typically know as frost cracks in which longitudinal cracks develop on the trunk of trees facing south or southeast.

Are there splits in the bark of Norway maples?

Q: Over the last couple of years, our Norway and Sunset maples have developed long, vertical splits in the bark. These splits can be as much as four feet long. This spring, some of them have been weeping. The problem does not seem to affect our other maples. Other trees are nearby but do not compete with these maples.

Is it normal for tree bark to split?

Although bark splitting is a normal process, allowing the tree to grow to wide diameters, it should only occur on outer layers if the tree is healthy. When you look at the split, therefore, you should not be able to see the wood below.

My Crimson King Maple is quite large and old and has always had some bark loosening on the south side of the tree. However, it is becoming more pronounced and causing deeper cracks in the tree trunk. Could this be fatal to the tree, and should there be some intervention?

Maples (Acer) as well as oaks (Quercus), linden (Tilia) and crabapple (Malus) trees we grow in Michigan are all susceptible to bark splitting. This is typically know as frost cracks in which longitudinal cracks develop on the trunk of trees facing south or southeast.

Q: Over the last couple of years, our Norway and Sunset maples have developed long, vertical splits in the bark. These splits can be as much as four feet long. This spring, some of them have been weeping. The problem does not seem to affect our other maples. Other trees are nearby but do not compete with these maples.

Although bark splitting is a normal process, allowing the tree to grow to wide diameters, it should only occur on outer layers if the tree is healthy. When you look at the split, therefore, you should not be able to see the wood below.