frost cracks

[3rdgen.maple]

What causes frost cracks in trees besides the obvious temperatures. I was wondering if a really wet fall followed by freezing temps cause them. If so I will get worried in a hurry. While deer hunting I noticed alot of frost cracks in trees. Luckily the maples all look good and they are old cracks from years past.

[forester1]

That is a possible cause. I never read any paper about it but I think most of them are caused by warm sunlight on the trunk on a very cold day or after a very cold night. Walk around the woods on a sunny 20 below day it sounds like gunshots but not as loud.