Noticed a weird pattern in old oaks after that storm in Asheville

Was checking storm damage along the Blue Ridge Parkway last week and saw about 15 mature oaks with bark splitting on the south side only. Same thing showed up in three different yards I looked at, all facing the same direction. I'm thinking it's freeze thaw from the sudden temp drop, but has anyone else seen this on their side of town?

2 comments

2 Comments

stone.jesse27d ago

That freeze thaw angle makes sense, but I've also seen this happen when the sap started moving early this year. The warm spell in February got those trees waking up, then that hard freeze hit and the south side took the worst of it because it warms up fastest during the day. Check the bark on the north side of the same trees, if it's still tight and smooth that points more to sun scald than just the cold alone. Might be worth getting an arborist to look at the cambium layer, sometimes that kind of split heals fine but other times it opens the door for borers.

abby_henderson26d ago

Honestly sounds like you might be overthinking this a bit. Trees split bark all the time after big storms, and most of them live through it just fine. I'd keep an eye on it for a few months before calling anyone out, unless you see bugs or the leaves start dying off.