Question

Red Oak #20  

Red Oak #22   Crack in bark?  Is this a crack or it it a normal part of developing bark?  Does it signify a problem?
It's the only one I noticed on the trunk but, of course, I'm unable to see the bark at higher levels.

Please let me know if you need other photos as I can easily take them and send them to you!

Again, thank you so much for your consideration!

Nancy

Answer
It looks like the tree is dying--the foliage is thin and sparse looking. I would recommend that you take the tree down.You can try fertilizing it and this might give it some life. But I would not expect much. I could not tell what is damaging the tree from the photos. But it looks like it has a problem. It really would take a on the ground visit to ID the problem. You might call the State Forestry agency and ask one of their Foresters to come take a look. This is a free service in most states. Sorry!