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Down the Garden Path: ‘Exploding’ trees are a rare thing · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Stemm a garden path. Exploding trees are a rare thing.
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  Written by Jamie Wiebach and University of Illinois Extension. This
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  article is being read by an automated voice brought to
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  you by Everlet. Much has been in the news lately
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  about exploding trees caused by the extreme cold temperatures. But
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  is this something to be worried about? Can trees explode?
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  The short answer is yes, but it's very rare. More
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  likely is a loud popping noise caused when trees crack
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  due to the expansion of water in the tree. This
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  expansion can put pressure on the bark, which eventually cracks,
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  creating a loud pop. Existing cracks can also become worse
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  due to frost shrinkage, where the trees cell walls contract
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  due to water loss. It is thought that trees that
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  have had some pass damage, such as from a mower
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  or animal brows, could be more prone to cracking because
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  of the already weakened tissues. Trees suffering from wet wood,
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  a bacterial disease, also can be prone to frost cracks
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  due to excess water in the affected areas. What's next, Fortunately,
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  as the temperature increases the cracks should shrink, and eventually
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  the tree will be able to seal the crack, much
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  like how it seals over pruning cuts. While the split
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  will still exist inside of the trunk, new cambium layers
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  will grow over it. If you look at a cross
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  section of a tree that had a frost crack at
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  some time in its life, you will still see the
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  crack in the growth rings, but subsequent growth rings may
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  be thicker the trees attempt to prevent future issues, What
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  can you do, honestly, not much. Preventing other kinds of damage,
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  such as mulch rings to keep mower and string trimmers
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  away from the trunk, and generally keeping trees healthy is
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  the best way to prevent this kind of damage. Proper
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  mulching keeping mulch away from the trunk ie not volcano mulching,
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  also can help the tree better regulate moisture levels in soil.
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  Temperature Wrapping trees is not recommended because of the issues
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  that can cause. For more information on treecare, check out
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  the University of Illinois Extensions website. Also check out the
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  University of Illinois Extension Horticulture YouTube channel for videos on
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  treecare and other horticulture topics. Jamie Viebak is a University
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  of Illinois Extension horticulture educator serving due Page, Cane, and
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  Kendall Counties. Viabok's primary areas of expertise are native plants, landscaping, pollinators,
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  and rain gardens