The bark on the injured side splits longitudinally and separates from the wood underneath. Several things can be done to help reduce sun-scald injury. Wrapping the trunks of susceptible trees for two or three years after planting may prevent sunscald. Proper nutrition has also been shown to play a part preventing sunscald. People who manage orchards have used white latex paint to reflect the warming sunlight during the winter months.
Frost cracks are also most common on thin barked trees such as maple, sycamore, crabapple and ash.
Frost cracks often result from a rapid drop in temperatures to well below freezing. These cracks often heal over during the growing season, only to reopen again during the following winter. Generally, no treatment is recommended. Branch dieback from extreme cold can not be prevented other than being sure that only cold hardy trees are planted. This means selecting only trees that can tolerate temperatures below minus 10 degrees F. Injury due to cold temperatures can also predispose trees to other problems such as branch and trunk cankers.