By John WoodmanseeAg & Natural Resources Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Whitley CountyCOLUMBIA CITY – I heard a new term this week, “exploding trees.” After more than 30 years with Purdue Extension, I’ve never heard a Purdue specialist use it. Lila Nolan, a writer for Morning Ag Clips, explained exploding trees as probably an over-dramatization of what can happen with trees in cold temperatures, which is frost cracking. This is not the first year we have experienced sub-zero temperatures, and our trees are generally adapted to our weather patterns. Southwest injury. “Thick bark trees tend to be more resistant to cracking due to a greater lag in the freeze/thaw cycle.” He added that trees that are under stress due to environmental factors, herbicide injury, and/or insect and disease are more susceptible to cracking.