A Botanist Speaks on Sycamore Cracks

Dws dws@nybg.org2:48 PM (5 hours ago)to meWell from the point of view of a wood anatomist, these cracks are in fact not onerous and the cambium quickly grows to heal as your research indicates.  The advice to wait until leafing out is good advice. A piece of information to keep in mind, Sycamores are commonly, if not consistently hollow, in their trunks and major branches.  This does not mean that there is anything wrong or that they are unhealthy.  If fact, quite the contrary, that is the way they grow and it prevents damaging rot that other species suffer from over time.  I often have to explain this to arborists who are not familiar with the way some of our trees grow.
Dennis-- Dennis Wm. StevensonVice President for Laboratory Research
Editor, Botanical ReviewAssociate Editor, FLORAEditor-in-Chief, Cladistics
New York Botanical Garden2900 Southern Blvd. Bronx, NY 10458Telephone: 718-817-8632 email: dws@nybg.org