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Walked a property in Asheville yesterday and saw something sketchy with the oaks
I was out in Asheville checking on a client's land and noticed several mature oaks with big cracks running down the trunk. Like, 3 to 4 feet long in some spots, right where the bark splits. A guy I was with said it's from that weird freeze-thaw cycle we had back in February when temps dropped 30 degrees in one night. That kind of damage can invite rot and bugs if it's not monitored. Has anyone else seen this pattern on their jobs lately? I'm worried about tree failure in the next storm season.
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robert_smith364mo ago
Yeah I've been seeing the EXACT same thing around here. Those vertical cracks are a dead giveaway from that February freeze where the sap froze and expanded inside the trees. Keep an eye on them through spring and if you see any sawdust or oozing then you'll need to call an arborist quick.
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evan2954mo ago
Wait, sap can actually freeze and crack trees like that?
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morgan_butler4mo ago
Nah nah, hold up a second. @robert_smith36 is mostly right but that's not EXACTLY how it works. The sap doesn't really freeze solid inside the tree like a water pipe, it's more about the wood itself expanding and contracting way too fast. When you get a sudden deep freeze after a warm spell, the moisture in the cell walls freezes and forces the bark to split lengthwise. That's why you see those long straight cracks running up and down the trunk, not random jagged ones.
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