Cracks in Your Tree Trunk in Richmond Hill?

You are raking leaves and notice a long seam running down the trunk. Or a storm passes and the next morning there is a fresh split between the two big stems of your maple. Cracks look alarming, and some of them are. Many are not. The difference comes down to where the crack is, how deep it goes and whether it is moving.

The Main Kinds of Trunk Crack

Most cracks you will see in Richmond Hill fall into four groups.

Bark Cracks

Bark stretches and splits as a tree grows. On many species, including silver maple, oak and ash, a rough, furrowed bark pattern is completely normal. If the wood underneath is solid and you can’t see into the trunk, it is just bark.

Frost Cracks

On a bitterly cold night, the outside of the trunk cools and shrinks faster than the inside. The tension can split the wood with a sound like a gunshot. Frost cracks run vertically, usually on the south or southwest side, and often close up again when it warms. Over the years the tree builds a raised ridge of new wood along the seam. Most frost cracks are a cosmetic problem that can reopen in hard winters.

Cracks at a Fork

When a tree has two or more main stems of similar size, the joint between them can be weak, especially if bark is trapped in the V between the stems. Arborists call this included bark. Instead of solid wood knitting the stems together, the bark acts like a wedge. A crack starting at the base of that V is one of the most common ways big trees fail.

Storm and Stress Cracks

Wind, ice and heavy wet snow can twist a trunk or overload a limb. A fresh crack after a storm, with clean, pale wood showing, means the tree was pushed past its limit. These need a look before the next storm arrives.

How to Tell If a Crack Is Serious

Stand back and look at the whole tree first, then get closer. These questions help sort a harmless crack from a dangerous one.

• How deep is it? If you can see into the wood, or slide a thin card a long way in, it is more than a bark crack.
• Is it moving? Mark the ends with chalk or take a dated photo. A crack that grows, or opens and closes in wind, is active.
• Where does it sit? A crack between two main stems, or one running into the root flare, is far more serious than one on a small side limb.
• Is there decay? Mushrooms, soft wood, a hollow sound or carpenter ants near the crack mean rot is weakening the wood around it.
• What is underneath? The same crack matters more over a bedroom than over a back corner of the yard.

What Not to Do

Don’t screw or bolt anything across the crack yourself, and don’t wrap the trunk with wire or straps. Homemade braces can girdle the bark and make things worse. Don’t climb the tree to look at a crack high up, and don’t tighten a rope from the tree to the house. If the crack is fresh and the tree leans over something important, keep people out of the area it would fall into.

Cracked Trees in Richmond Hill

A few local patterns come up again and again. Silver maples and Norway maples on older streets in Richvale, Crosby and around Mill Pond often grew with two or three main stems, the classic setup for a crack at the fork. Lindens and some ornamental pears form tight, upright forks too. Out on the larger lots of Bayview Hill and Observatory, big old oaks and maples show frost cracks from decades of hard winters. Most of those are stable, but they are worth a check if a crack has reopened.

The December 2013 ice storm left many Richmond Hill trees with cracks that the trees have since grown around. A crack that cracked again in a recent storm deserves a fresh look.

If a cracked tree does need to come down, remember the City rules. Under Tree Preservation By-law 19-25, a private tree 15 cm or wider at chest height needs a permit before it is removed. For a tree that is cracked and hazardous, ask the City about its process, since it can differ.

What We Usually Recommend

For bark cracks and sealed frost cracks, nothing. For a crack at a fork on an otherwise healthy tree, we can often reduce the weight on the weaker stem so the joint carries less load. For a deep, active crack, a crack into the root flare, or one combined with decay on a tree that leans toward the house, Scott will tell you plainly that removal is the safer choice. If it comes to that, our tree removal work takes the tree down piece by piece from the top, with heavy sections lowered on ropes, and leaves the yard clean.

Want a second opinion on whether the tree is dangerous overall? Our guide to the signs a tree is dangerous covers what to look for beyond the crack.

When to Call Us

Call or text (289) 475-5822, any day from 8am to 8pm. Send a photo of the crack and one of the whole tree if you can. We come out the same day, take a look with you and give you a free quote, and if the crack is nothing to worry about, we’ll tell you that too.