City officials in North Battleford are getting a few calls from nervous property owners about the state of their trees.
Large cracks in trees have been noticed following this most recent bout of cold weather. That has prompted some calls to look into the situation.
In many cases, however, there is no cause for concern. In a news release issued by the City, forestry operations foreman Tim Yeaman stated that such big cracks in ash trees are normal.
"The current cracks in many of the trees, specifically ash, are very common with the fluctuations in temperatures from bitter cold to warming up," says Yeaman.
"The cracks in some cases are known as frost cracks or sunscald cracks, which are very common in the fraxinus family of trees, which includes ashes, and some other trees as well."
While the cracks look serious, Yeaman assures residents these will close up in most cases as the weather improves.
"If the process continues over the years, the trees end up with what is known as 'frost ribs' adding a unique feature to the truck of the trees," says Yeaman.
The City is letting residents know that such cracks are nothing to worry about. However, the city's forestry operations foreman will go and check trees for residents concerned about serious damage.
