Question
split bark
I have a sugar maple that the bark is spliting about a foot off the ground and at seven foot.The tree has a light green fungus shaped like an open flower.Some of the fungus is dry and peels off easily while some is atttached very firm it reaches a hieght of about twenty feet up with the fungus appearing at different locations.All of the fungus are shaped like open flowers.Can you help?
AnswerThe bark split looks like a lightning strike. The fungi are called lichens and do not harm a tree but grow on the bark and have nothing to do with the wounds.
Lichens are an example of a symbiotic relationship between algae and certain fungi. They are capable of producing their own food. The algae associated with the fungus is a green or blue-green alga. There are three forms of lichens based on growth patterns. Crustose are species that are closely pressed against the surface of the limb or trunk of dead or live trees. Foliose forms are leaf like or prostrate but are also tightly attached to the tree. Fruticose forms are bush like, erect or hanging. Although lichens are found in most areas of Texas, they are most noticeable in areas that have extended periods of high humidity.
The effect of lichens on a tree are only slightly detrimental. The plants are epiphytes. That is they derive their nutrients from the air and not from the plant on which they are growing. Although they are not parasitized, literature reports suggest that lichens do have a slight negative effect. The main concern is that lichens give a tree an unkept appearance. Presence of lichens also is a good indicator of a thin tree canopy. This often leads homeowners to conclude that lichens are the cause and not the effect of thin foliage. The best control for lichens is maintain the tree in good condition. This will insure a dense canopy which will shade the limbs and reduce photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis, lichens are not able to manufacture food needed for growth and development.
I would not do anything about the lichens but I would fertilize the tree with 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 1 lb per inch of trunk diameter scattered around the tree and watered in good. this will increase the overall health of the tree.
Since water or sap is a better conductor than wood, lightning damage is often related to the concentration of moisture in and around a tree. For instance, if the moisture is concentrated in the phloem between the bark and the wood, then the lightning strike will follow this channel and create an explosive separation of the bark. If there is more moisture in the center of the tree, the explosion from within may blow the tree apart. Rain soaked bark often shows little damage because the lightning may follow the outside of the bark and flow into the ground.
A lightning strike can be a traumatic experience for both the tree and its caretaker. If your tree is struck by lightning, the immediate concern should be your personal safety. Broken limbs hanging high in the tree or unsupported branches hanging over buildings or sidewalks should be taken care of quickly, preferably by a certified professional arborist. If the tree does not exhibit obvious safety concerns and seems to be generally intact, you could wait until the end of summer or even the following spring to evaluate the tree's ability to recover (by producing leaves). This is not always the answer a homeowner wants to hear, but a valid assessment of the tree's damage and ability to recover is difficult--sometimes impossible--immediately after a lightning strike.
You can remove the loose bark from the wound but do not apply any wound dressing to the wound. This will slow the healing process. Most hardwood tree like oak will recover from the strike.
