Question
about 4 inches above the soil line on the trunk there is some orange goo oozing out of it, then gets hard and dry

Answer
Donna:
From your description, I would suspect that this substance is plant in origin, probably a plant response to some type of injury- often an insect that may be a borer, that may be tunneling into the stem.  This liquid is a defense mechanism to the injury. Sometimes the hole made by the insect is very small- almost invisible. If it is an insect, not too much that can be done.  Prevention by protective sprays to the trunk are more effective. You can try "flicking" some of this hard material off and look for a hole beneath.

Regards
Steve