DETROIT (WWJ) “It sounds like a gunshot.”
That’s how Lawrence Law, Urban and Community Forester and Partnership Coordinator with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), describes the phenomenon dubbed as “exploding trees.”
It’s a sound that might ring out while you’re deep in the woods during a frigid Michigan winter, or in any cold climate.
But trees don’t actually explode.
“Trees have sap…and when these temperatures drop, that sap freezes,” Law told WWJ’s Chris Fillar. “It has a bunch of water that expands. Temperatures inside the tree build up and you hear a huge crack.”
He said the aftermath is usually subtle: some broken bark, some limb failure.
“It doesn’t fall apart and blow up in your face,” Law said. He added cracked trees are not inherently dangerous, but he encourages you to stay away from trees that appear unstable or have loose branches.
He said cottonwoods—and other tree species that retain a large amount of water—are more prone to cracking.
And as for those viral videos you see of trees spontaneously combusting into flames, he assured us: “That’s just AI.”