Question
I live in san Antonio Tx my pecan tree has been shedding its bark for the first time that I can remember. The trees are over 50yrs old and about 40ft tall. Whats the cause and what can I do to stop the shedding

Answer
It is normal. As the pecan tree grows in size with age, the oldest bark changes from smooth to scaly and the scaly outer bark splits and sloughs off over time (leaving more scaly bark underneath). Usually, the pieces that slough off are not large, a few inches long by an inch or so wide and less than a quarter inch thick and are rarely even noticed by people who have had pecan trees for many years and are familiar with the fact that mature pecan tree bark is scaly rather than smooth.