If you planted a maple, linden, honeylocust, or fruit tree in the last few years, its trunk is about to face one of the toughest parts of a Treasure Valley winter. On clear winter afternoons, low sun warms the southwest side of the trunk, and when the temperature drops fast after sunset, the bark can crack. Arborists call it sunscald or southwest injury.
Young, smooth, thin-barked trees are the most vulnerable, especially in newer Meridian, Kuna, and Nampa subdivisions where there's little shade from older trees or buildings. The damage often isn't noticed until spring or summer, when a long, sunken strip of dead bark peels away and leaves an opening for decay and borers.
The fix is simple and inexpensive. After leaves drop, usually in November, wrap the lower trunk with a light-colored commercial tree wrap or use a white trunk guard, then remove it in spring so it doesn't trap moisture or constrict growth. If you're not sure which trees need it, or how to tell old damage from something more serious, our ISA Certified Arborists are glad to take a look.
Did you plant any young trees in the last couple of years that might need wrapping this winter? #TreasureValley #TreeCare
Photo of a young maple or linden trunk with light-colored tree wrap installed, or a close-up of a long vertical sunscald crack on the southwest side of a young trunk. Authentic local photos strongly preferred over stock.
Canva text suggestion: "Winter Sun Can Split Young Bark" or "Wrap Young Trunks After Leaf Drop"