English Oak Bark Splitting/Peeling

[Todd ShererParticipant]

Hello – can anyone identify what is happening to the tree in the photo? It is an English oak in an orchard of English oaks and hazelnuts inoculated with t. aestivum. It was planted in April 2023. Its tree tube was removed in June 2025 and it appeared healthy at that point. The photo was taken approximately 3 months later. We’re wondering if it’s sunscald caused by tree tube removal in early summer? Or some other pest/disease? Any help is much appreciated!

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[James SchettineParticipant]

This reply has been marked as private.

[Fabrice CaporalKeymaster]

Yes, I have the same suspicion.

[Steve UnverzagtParticipant]

James Shettine’s reply has been marked as private, so I can’t tell if this answer will be redundant. I apologize in advance if it is…

 

This is likely not sun scald, which would be located only facing the sun angle. The damage appears to wrap around the back side in the lower areas, and you can actually see gnawing bite marks in the bark from animal predation… likely deer, although if it was only close to the ground, it would indicate rabbit damage.

This girdling (removal of the protective bark, along with the regenerative cambium tissue) will at least stunt, if not cause total die-back of the existing stem/trunk.

The plant’s natural reaction will be to replace that damaged trunk, with a few suckers sprouting from dormant buds at ground level. If that happens, select the straightest, most robust one, prune off the others, and remove the old damaged trunk. It will reset the growth pattern back to normal, and in a few years, you may not see a marked difference in appearance or even truffle production. The roots will not be affected by the trunk replacement process.

I’m guessing you do not currently have an 8-9’ deer fence surrounding your orchard. This would be your opportunity to protect all the trees, before any more tree tubes are removed.

[Todd ShererParticipant]

Thank you for your reply, Steve – very helpful. I’m also not able to see James’ reply since it’s marked private. We do have an 8′ deer fence surrounding our orchard. Our orchard camera suggests it has been effective at keeping deer out but we know other critters such as rabbits and raccoons are getting in. We’ll work on filling any gaps to keep them out moving forward.

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