University of Florida

Home > Pruning shade trees > Restoration pruning > Treating damaged and broken trees > More treating > Trunks split apart

Trunk splits apart

split treeTrees split like this should be removed now. The cracks will not close. The tree is likely to remain green and look healthy so most people will not recognize that there is a developing hazard in this tree. As the tree grows larger and gains mass, more strain will be placed on the trunk and the stems will fall to the ground. The right photo is a close-up of the tree on the left about 5 feet from the ground. The bark inclusion is clearly visible at the top of the split union.

tree