Frost cracks appear as vertical splits in the trunk of a tree and are the result of plant tissue expansion and contraction.

If you’ve been online lately, you may have seen alarming headlines claiming that “exploding trees” are waking people up across the country. The reports describe a loud bang in the middle of the night, ...

When temperatures plunge and the air goes painfully still, people in northern forests sometimes hear a sharp crack that ...

Social media posts warning of "exploding trees" in subzero temperatures are mischaracterizing a phenomenon known as frost cracks. Frost cracks form when water inside trees freezes and expands. As a ...

A viral social media post warned Midwesterners about the dangers of "exploding trees" as extreme cold weather hits the region. But is it true? Do trees really explode during very cold temperatures? It ...

John Seiler was strolling across Virginia Tech’s campus with his students Thursday morning when something stopped them in their tracks: a sweet cherry tree with an unusual jagged scar running along ...