Sugar maple disease? - Ask Extension
4 healing scars on the same side. Will they affect the integrity and lifespan of the tree?
Knowledgebase
Sugar maple disease? #935061
Asked June 10, 2026, 8:17 PM EDT
4 healing scars on the same side. Will they affect the integrity and lifespan of the tree?
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Thank you for writing.
Sugar maples grow rapidly and as the trunk expands, it often cracks open and sheds bark.
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/shedding-peeling-and-splitting-bark-shade-trees
Also they are susceptible to thaw-freeze explosions where sap starts to move in the early spring and a new frost causes the sap to expand as it refreezes--this can spit the tree. https://www.albany.edu/news-center/news/2026-do-trees-really-explode-cold-5q-andrei-lapenas
Importantly the trees in domestic setting grow to about 75 feet high and 40-50 feet wide.
https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/sugar-maple/#!
Your trees are healing so I would not worry about that.
BUT, I cannot see the grove of trees. Sugar maples grow to about 75 feet tall and 45 feet wide. Canopies of neighboring trees must not overlap and must have room to breath. Your picture shows a spindly tree competing for light with trees nearby. To my mind, that suggests that it is a volunteer tree in a crowded area. Thinning may be indicated. An arborist could help you with that decision. (see my signature line).
Sugar maples grow rapidly and as the trunk expands, it often cracks open and sheds bark.
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/shedding-peeling-and-splitting-bark-shade-trees
Also they are susceptible to thaw-freeze explosions where sap starts to move in the early spring and a new frost causes the sap to expand as it refreezes--this can spit the tree. https://www.albany.edu/news-center/news/2026-do-trees-really-explode-cold-5q-andrei-lapenas
Importantly the trees in domestic setting grow to about 75 feet high and 40-50 feet wide.
https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/sugar-maple/#!
Your trees are healing so I would not worry about that.
BUT, I cannot see the grove of trees. Sugar maples grow to about 75 feet tall and 45 feet wide. Canopies of neighboring trees must not overlap and must have room to breath. Your picture shows a spindly tree competing for light with trees nearby. To my mind, that suggests that it is a volunteer tree in a crowded area. Thinning may be indicated. An arborist could help you with that decision. (see my signature line).
