Maple tree bark - Ask Extension
Why is the bark on my Maple tree growing in long strips that now stick out from the trunk? This seems to be a recent change. The tree is mature (more ...
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Maple tree bark #889452
Asked November 06, 2024, 4:52 PM EST
Why is the bark on my Maple tree growing in long strips that now stick out from the trunk? This seems to be a recent change. The tree is mature (more than 25 years old) and in a sunny location. Picture included. There are several of these big strips around the trunk. They are not detached -- very sturdy, but sticking out from the trunk in long strips.
Dakota County Minnesota
Expert Response
Your tree is probably a Silver Maple. What you are seeing is normal. Once they reach a certain maturity, old bark is shed as the tree grows new bark underneath. I have a Silver Maple, very large, approximately 40 years old and this is exactly what it does. I joke that it is providing its own mulch. However, it has to be broken up. Those strips will fall off on their own.
