Maple Bark splitting

[nienor1]

Can someone tell whats happening with this tree? Its a Maple that was grown from a seed and the bark is splitting - is it harming the tree? (The black is pruning spray)

 

[Cannuck]

Frost crack.....warm days cause sap to flow...cold nights...sap freezes and pops the bark open....I am assuming this is at least a year old minimum....there will definatley be callous growth on the inside of the bark edges.....the tree is young and growing vigorously....its outracing the trees ability to compartmentalize the wound and cover over.....unfortunately this is a fatal flaw....considering the location and size..the point of injury will decay and the decay will travel throughout the trunk....good news is this process will take years....my advice....enjoy the tree for as long as you can but plant a replacement near the maple so when its time to remove you have a nice established tree in its place...


BTW its a silver maple....not the best of the maples..if your area is in the hardiness zone throw a nice red maple or sugar maple in its place...


Cannuck

 

[S Mc]

Nienor, may I ask you to post a couple more pictures? I would like to see the entire tree and a close up of the base showing how it was planted.

Is this injury on the south or southwest side of the tree? It may very well be sunscald. However, I would not have described this as a fatal flaw. How old is this tree and how big? The trunk caliper looks to be in the 4" range (guessing here so please correct me).

It is a good idea on thin barked and young trees to protect their trunks during the winter months to prevent sunscald. You may want to do so next season to prevent further damage.

Sylvia