Question
A mature maple tree in our yard started losing sheets of bark last fall and continues to do so.  I don't see any insects or rot underneath but am worried the tree is dying.  What is going on?

Answer
As long as the foliage is green and healthy looking the tree is fine. Silver maple shed bark as a normal part of their growth and development. The bark of young silver maples is relatively smooth, but as the trees age they develop furrowed bark that separates into strips that curl on each end. These strips sometimes fall away in pieces the size you have noticed. The amount of bark shed varies among individual trees, but it is a characteristic of the species. If the tree is a silver maple, this is probably what you are observing. The bark underlying the strips on a healthy silver maple is an orangish color. This fades to gray.