Why Is My Gum Tree Shedding Bark

Any sudden swing in temperature can make trees shed bark and crack under stress.

Why is my gum tree shedding bark. Bark falls off after excessive heat which like frost damage strips bark down to the wood. It is a strong and majestic tree. An australian native corymbia maculata is endemic to the eastern states of australia. Stem girdling roots are a major issue when planting a nursery bought tree.

This bark shedding is called decorticating and is a normal thing to see especially with smooth barked gum trees such as sydney bluegum spotted gum and ribbon gums hence their name like eucalyptus viminalis. Gum trees in particular stand out because of the way that they shed their bark. Stem girdling roots are a pr. The most common cause of tree bark loss is that it is growing out of its skin which must be shed to allow its trunk to enlarge.

As a result most smooth bark eucalypts shed a lot of their bark in the summer months. A tree with peeling bark doesn t always indicate a problem. Shedding eucalyptus tree bark may help keep the tree healthy. A tree book i have on my shelf cited below says.

Causes of falling limbs on a sweet gum tree. In other cases tree bark may fall off due to insect infestation. Over those years i ve admired this beautiful tree. In younger trees the outside bark is generally softer and more flexible and can accommodate the growth.

If you see bare wood or mats of fungus under the peeling bark the tree is suffering from environmental damage or disease. Trees that have peeling bark. Department of agriculture hardiness zones 5. Decorticating bark can be seen in many species all year round with long flakes of old bark seen hanging from the crowns of trees.

Reason that the bark is peeling off of a mature tree. Trees grow and when they do the outside must expand. Some stringy bark eucalypts grow masses of thin walled cells in the bark so when it dies the bark breaks into strings of loosely attached fibrous bark. As the tree sheds its bark it also sheds any mosses lichens fungi and parasites that may live on the bark.

If you see bark covering the wood after the old bark peels away the tree is probably undergoing a normal shedding process. Bark falls off an unhealthy tree which means you d see other signs of stress such as cankers sap or dead leaves and twigs. Like a crab shedding its too tight shell a tree must shed its old bark shell to make room for the new larger tree within.