Bark separating from maple tree trunk

Joe Moshi

Hi,

I am new here and know very little about trees. I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

I have a 20 year old maple tree which have become quite big about 30 feet high. Yesterday I noticed that the bark has separated from the trunk at the ground level and up some 30 inches and some 8 inches wide. I tried to look behind the bark and there was a space of at least 1 inch between the bark and the trunk. The bark seemed to be quite fragile (an easy pull would break the bark). No indication of any insects behind the bark. The leaves appear to be healthy.

I did not take any photos of the tree yet but I will attempt to give as much information as I can.

Is this normal or is the tree diseased? I would appreciate some guidance. Thanks.

Eric Frei

we need pics

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Bob Tooley

An old injury which occurs behind the bark without showing from the outside will often cause the bark to be forced off later as the new healing growth grows larger...It's common with 'sun scald' on younger trees and more often in mature trees on the side facing the 'danger zones'..parking areas, and other 'mechanical' injury locations...................pictures are really needed before any reliable information can be given...

Joe Moshi

Thank you for your prompt replies. I shall take photos as soon as the rain stops.

Joe Moshi

Please check the following pictures. If you need more specific pictures please let me know. Thanks.

Attached Thumbnails

         

Bob Tooley

You can see the new callus wood growth is in good condition and it's what's forcing the bark off now. I wouldn't suspect any problems with your tree beyond the now dead and isolated section under the bark, but as long as you have the new growth occurring, you have a good path for water and nutrient flow past the restricted area to the rest of the tree. I'd let the bark fall off by itself, sometimes when it's removed too fast, the new growth bark can get sun burned, but I'd say you're in good shape.

pcarborist

Joenicole, do you use Round-up?

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parkcityarborist

Joe Moshi

Excuse my ignorance but what is Round-up?

Bob Tooley

It's a commercially available herbicide for use as a brush killer as well as a few other weed/pest problems in residential areas...

Joe Moshi

No I do not use a herbicide but this year a weed killer was used (not killex) and was applied about two weeks ago for the first time this year.

Bob Tooley

Your tree injury occurred a number of years ago and was hidden until the bark started to lift. I can't tell how long ago by the photos, but it's certainly been over five or six years... I'd just leave it alone and let it do it's thing because it's doing just fine on it's own...

Joe Moshi

Thank you Bob. The tree is situated in the back yard where no car has ever been. The only thing I can think of is that it was trimmed by a professional two or three times in the last 10 years. However it is reassuring that you feel the tree is doing fine on its own.

Bob Tooley

Tree injuries such as yours are very common and come from a number of different causes. I've seen a small hole allow water to flow behind the bark where the frost separated the bark from the cambium resulting in a six foot scar the following year, so even the most un-thought of possibility can easily become a reality. As a rule, if the tree doesn't need to be worked in and you have no reason to work on it....don't touch it...or allow someone to sell you the reason 'they' should touch it... A lot of the tree work done by professionals today is repair work for damages done by someone else...

Joe Moshi

Thanks to you Bob that I am now better informed.