Ash Trees With Bark Lifting

Q. Our ash trees have “bark drop” as they got older. Should I worry that the light tan areas of bark are peeling in long sheets four feet long, and this bark seems to be coming away from the tree in small chunks?

Bark coming off or lifting from readers tree.

A. Worry only if your ash trees had the bottom branches recently removed and they were planted on the south or west sides of a building or wall. Try to leave the bottom limbs attached to the trunk as long as possible so the trunk is shaded by the limbs. Once the tree has gained some height and age, some of the lower branches can slowly be removed.

Beginning of ash sunburn after it was recently planted. The orangish-red color of the trunk or limbs is not normal for this tree and it was facing the sun. 

            Your job will be to discover if the trunk has been damaged either by the sun or by borers or both. Before you begin, establish which side of a wall or building the tree was planted on and make a mental note. South and west sides of walls and buildings are the hottest and most damaging.

Ash borers in the trunk of a young ash tree. Removing the loose bark will reveal their nasty work.

            Next remove any loose bark including those strips you mentioned. Use your hands first two pull off any loose bark. It won’t hurt the tree. Finally use a sharp and sterilized knife blade about 5 inches long to make the trimming cuts to undamaged wood just below the bark. The undamaged wood should be white or light green. The purpose is to hasten the healing either of the trunk or limbs and discover what did the damage.

Even though this is fruit tree it still demonstrates how to correct borer damage with a knife.

             It’s always a good idea to leave the lower living limbs for shading the trunk as long as possible. This shade helps protect trunk and limbs sunburn. Once these areas are sunburned, they will attract boring insects because these insects are attracted to damaged trees and shrubs. The sun burned areas are in the trunks and limbs where there is the most intense sunlight. This is usually the West or South facing sides or the tops of limbs and branches.