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| Anyone know the issue at hand here? Any help is appreciated.
http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy136/tjk238/sadmaple.jpg |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Thu, Dec 8, 11 at 1:02
| Looks like it had paint applied to it some years ago. What condition is the crown of the tree in? +oM |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Dec 8, 11 at 9:20
| in photobucket.. if you use the HTML code.. the pic will show up in the post ... i agree on the paint theory ... its just to perfect horizontally ... to be a random disease ... also ... when i pause to think about it.. there arent really any BARK diseases ... though i will defer on that ... i cant tell on your pic.. is there ANY insult to the underlying tree at all.. or is it all superficial ... if so.. lichens might be an option... but they wouldnt be white ... me thinks you are worried about nothing ... if it were me.. i would .. once sure its paint.. scrape it off .... in a year or two ... it will color like the rest of the bark .. BUT, IF ... its a school.. i might leave that until summer vacation .... wouldnt want to encourage the crumb munchers to attack the tree ... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: scroll down to lichens
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| I agree with the paint theory. Long ago some non-aesthetic moron came up with the idea of painting the bases of trees for protection against cankerworms and other insects that come up from the ground to the buds and foliage, and that was supposed to stifle them. I think they originally used white lead mixed with linseed oil (an environmental OMG) but many people used plain white paint. Shouldn't hurt the tree except visually. hortster |
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| I wouldn't suggest trying to scrape off the paint. That could cause some significant damage if you take off outer bark along with that paint that ken hates so much. |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Thu, Dec 8, 11 at 18:53
| If it is paint, it will become less apparent with each passing year. I wouldn't mess with it at all if it were mine. +oM |
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| There are multiple possible reasons to paint the lower portion of a tree trunk. Some are completely valid, others questionable, and some probably not very good...but most of the reasons require painting all the way to the ground. This tree looks like the paint stops at the bottom almost as abruptly as it starts near the top. Is it near a parking lot or something like that where it could have been painted as a "caution/do-not-hit sign"?
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Thu, Dec 8, 11 at 22:06
| Brandon, it just looks that way because the part that was painted has moved up as the tree has grown! ;^) JK! +oM |
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| ^I was about to have some serious concerns about you before I read the JK. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Fri, Dec 9, 11 at 9:02
| first.. i dont think much has fallen off.. i speculate.. that it is all there... and the tree has simply increased its girth ... stretching the paint apart ... now.. to clarify ... when i suggested removal of the paint .. and i will yell ... I DID NOT MEAN TO REMOVE THE BARK .... all i pictured in my mind was a hand held stiff steel brush ... and some coarse brushing .... just enough to remove it from the surface ... i dont really see how that can in any way hurt the tree.. since you will be 1/4 inch from the cambian at least ... in all reality ... i would put this low on my list of things to do.. and probably never get around to it.. lol .. ken |
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| Just as a point of tree physiology - tree trunks grow OUT, not UP. Meristematic activity only occurs at the tips of the twigs and roots, not in the trunk cambium. Someone just didn't paint the lowest part of the trunk. hortster |
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| The building behind the tree looks like it could belong to a school or some other 'campus' type of facility (church school, hospital, etc.) |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Fri, Dec 9, 11 at 18:00
| @ Horster......."JK" is a web abbreviation for "Just kidding". I was messing with Brandon because his posts show him to be a person of much horticultural knowledge. I do disagree with your statement however. In addition to the meristematic tissues in the growing tips you mentioned, the cambium produces new wood, AKA xylem, and the "cork cambium" produces new live bark. @ Ken. I know that is all you were suggesting. And yes, if it bothered the OP enough, that simple task would suffice. +oM |
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- Posted by AspenAcres 5b BC (My Page) on Fri, Dec 9, 11 at 22:21
| I agree to leave the tree alone. Whoever painted it was uneducated about trees and now the tree is left with the paint on it. In Guatemala I noticed many trees with paint on the trunks. I also think it must have been meant to prevent cars from hitting the tree. |
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| Ok I will leave it alone, I may have worried for nothing. I will assume paint unless something happens. Thanks everyone for the engaging in the discussion to give me piece of mind. |
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