Frost Cracks
When, as occasionally happens, someone hears a very loud sharp noise on a really cold night and then notices that a nearby tree has split open, it’s quite understandable that the startled witness blames the thermometer reading and calls it a frost crack. The explanation seems obvious: cracks are caused when the wood near the outside of the tree trunk cools and shrinks more than the warmer inside of the tree, to such an extent that, bang, the wood opens with a mighty crack and the tension is relieved. yet the true cause of these long vertical rifts is almost always an old injury which, perhaps long ago, disrupted the structural integrity of the tree.
The complete content of this article is part of the downloadable pdf of this issue, available in our online shop.
Join the discussion
To ensure a respectful dialogue, please refrain from posting content that is unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, libelous, obscene, or inflammatory. Northern Woodlands assumes no responsibility or liability arising from forum postings and reserves the right to edit all postings. Thanks for joining the discussion.
Discussion
No discussion as of yet.