i would need a picture to 'see' what you are trying to describe

ken

Any recommendations for treatment?

Not with the information provided.

Dan

Attaching a picture here.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:354835}}

Did you look at the picture before you posted it?

Dan

Yes. Is there something obvious that I'm unaware of? Sorry, I'm just not knowledgeable about trees...which is why I came here.

Is there something obvious

Yes, the picture is blurry and there is nothing to see.

Dan

Sorry. I've provided better pictures at the attached link. I appreciate the help.

Here is a link that might be useful: Several pictures here

is all the damage within the height of a local child... human rodent????

looks like someone 'picked' off all the loose bark ... and carried it away .... i dont see it laying on the ground ... an animal looking for bugs under the bark would have not been that neat ... and i am not aware of any disease nor bug that would do that ...

ken

Some of it is on branches 10 feet high. We're almost always home so we'd catch a person or animal doing it if it was during the day. And we have motion activated flood lights that would, in theory, deter either person or animal at night.

Fascinating. Looks like flicker at first glance. Might be an occasional squirrel too from the look of one or two of the chips. If it is in shade from that oak, it may be losing vigor and susceptible to critter attack, and that's what is being hunted.

Dan

can we get a pic of the whole tree ...

i just dont understand how a flicker .. would flick away all evidence of flickage ... or would they carry away the flicked parts [that is the most times in my life i have used flick in one sentence] ....

ken

Has anyone come up with an answer to this bark problem? I'm quite sure that it is neither squirrels, birds or large insects. I use D.E. to keep ants off. This has been gradually worsening over the last 4 years and, even though the tree produced some fruit this Spring, it is in obvious decline. Would tree paint help at all (unlikely), but perhaps some sort of trunk wrap? Once the bark separates, it is difficult to imagine the tree repairing itself, so maybe it's time to bite-the-bullet.

I have seen a couple around here that get some sort of cankers (fire blight?) and they just kind of slowly peel apart like in the posters pic, until they are sad enough to get ripped out by the landscapers or they literally fall down.

I am in the UK and have the same trunk problem as pictured above and now on one side of the tree all the leaves are falling leaving bare branches although the disease does not seem to have reached the branches yet but I think this disease seems to be inhibiting water take up or else it is a virus. I do find minute pin head size creatures under the bark but have not found any large insects. Any ideas?

It is from the bark eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata. The picture shown in the beginning of this thread is definitely from that, others like gordon1969's tree may be something else. Clear photos of any issues help. Certified Arborist consultant here!