Sugar Maple with Black Bark/Holes

Solomon

Hello. I've recently purchased a home in SW Ohio that has a great Sugar Maple tree in the front. Very nice shade and in great location. I have feelings for this tree!

Well, there seems to be something going on with the Northern side of the tree. The bark is very black, and there is even a big spot of bark that seems to be missing. Also, there are several holes in the tree. I have spied a yellow bellied sapsucker on the tree recently. There is also some green "moss" growing on the trunk.

The canopy is very dense and appears pretty healthy from a distance, but there are some dead branches up top on the northern side, directly above this blackened bark.

I'm prepared for the worst, but don't know the first thing about what could be going on with this tree.

Any ideas on what this could be or how to proceed?

sueann

A yellow bellied sap sucker??

Gosh, do we have them? I don't like the sounds of it whatever it is.

Eric Frei

I thinks it's a bird, like woodpecker thing, makes lots of holes in line.

Anyway, where the bark is missing seems to be woundwood forming on the edges (good).

Thing is it will be a very long time if ever at all before that massive area grows over with bark. So, the wood you see will start decaying, slowly as you get older and time passes by it will hollow out .... lots of trees like that in the bush.

what the tree needs now is to raise it's own health, run at optimum to fend off decay and grow strong not like some wimp that gets hen pecked by the MRS.

So, you know, chunky mulch, soil conditioners, water but do not fertilize.

Use the search button for those things.

Now the exposed heartwood, not a lot you can do about that to keep fungi away other than applying 2 things.

1. Antagonistic fungi to eat the bad fungi
2. Fungicide (copper based)

Trouble with fungicide is, not very effective and can damage living parts, wont penetrate deep enough into the tree etc.

We fantisized about getting a blow torch and burning the surface but not the bark or living wood, I reckon that'll help and slow down decay. I dont see decay or fungi on char grilled dead trees, I doubt they can consume it.

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Solomon

Thanks Ekka! Good information.

I'm going to search for info on the items you listed and see what happens. I'll post periodic updates on this tree as well, in case anyone is interested.

spartek

The sap-sucker bores holes into the tree causing sap flow ,inturn the sucker feeds on the sap and the insects that are attracted. Feeding tapers off around March. The high flow of sap oozing causes dark colored fungi to appear on the trunk, hence causing the "black bark" syndrome. High success rates for stopping the sucker have been acheived by simply wrapping the bark with burlap wrap. This basically stops the infestation. Astetics of the burlap can be masked with grey spray paint,hope this helps.

Eric Frei

I'd like to see a pic of the whole tree, that looks like a cracking co-dominant stem.

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TreeSpecialist

Definitely a sap sucker. They look like woodpeckers. They are migratory so are federally protected. Once they start "picking" on a tree, they will return repeatedly and continue to do harm.

A high velocity injection (into the bird) of "vitamin Pb" is what a forester once suggested.

Anything you can do to scare the bird off will help.

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