What causes this?

[fugue14]

View attachment 303743View attachment 303744

At the base of a small, red maple?.

 

[Grouchy old man]

That's an old injury. Lawnmower, car, who knows. Could also even be deliberate.

 

[Zale]

Old injury or canker.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

On a tree that young, it probably happened either during transport or when they planted it. Good news is it has encapsulated, hopefully it will heal over ok.

 

[fugue14]

Great, thanks. There's a whole area of large trees with similar wounds at the base. I thought it odd that they would all be from mechanical injury.
There is also a a white substance under the bark and what looks like webbing in the second picture. The tree is dying back from the top though
and I'm thinking it would be better to just replant a new maple.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Probably so. The Tree Farm up by Longmont is my favorite nursery out there, they really baby their stock. Just wait til fall.

 

[magictoad]

Great, thanks. There's a whole area of large trees with similar wounds at the base. I thought it odd that they would all be from mechanical injury.
There is also a a white substance under the bark and what looks like webbing in the second picture. The tree is dying back from the top though
and I'm thinking it would be better to just replant a new maple.

I would replace as that is a massive wound for such as small tree.

 

[beastmaster]

Great, thanks. There's a whole area of large trees with similar wounds at the base. I thought it odd that they would all be from mechanical injury.
There is also a a white substance under the bark and what looks like webbing in the second picture. The tree is dying back from the top though
and I'm thinking it would be better to just replant a new maple.

Sounds like a fungus. I wouldn't plant in the same hole just to be safe. Are the other trees affected also maples? Maybe you should diversify your trees some if not already. It could just as easy be cankers or fungus as an injury.

 

[fugue14]

The other affected trees were a ways away. The silver maples around this one looked healthy. I'm sure the injury/canker led to other problems. Think it just needs to be replaced... or left removed since the owner planted it in public right of way anyway.

 

[Kottonwood]

the damage is most likely from sunscald. Were all of the injuries facing south/ southwest side at the nursery?

 

[TreePointer]

No root flare? Suffocation and rot.

 

[old_soul]

the damage is most likely from sunscald. Were all of the injuries facing south/ southwest side at the nursery?

I was thinking sunscald too......especially on red maples

 

[Kottonwood]

I was thinking sunscald too......especially on red maples

yup and especially in CO, very common

 

[fugue14]

I asked if the owner if she noticed anything when she planted the tree. She said it started off as a small discolored area and expanded from there. But couldn't recall any possible injuries.