The winter of 2023-24 has been not quite the warmest on record for the Northland, but nearly so. While December and February were contenders for the No. 1 spot, January provided us with a few weeks ...

Q: We have a beautiful Autumn Blaze maple tree with a split trunk bark. We’re wondering if it’s dying and if there is anything to be done to save it. We’d sure appreciate any advice. — Cliff and Nancy ...

A: With vertical cracks in the bark along the trunk like that, I suspect those are frost cracks. These commonly happen in maples, which are thin-barked trees. Missouri Botanical Garden explains how ...