My cherry tree has a problem. The bark is splitting and coming away. It has been looking fine with good foliage and flowers. What is the prognosis? Is there anything I can do? — Ed Bowne. I checked ...

Just before the first snow, I went for a walk in the woods near our house. It’s a damp and mossy mixed wood full of the usual suspects: cedar, white pine, balsam, birch, beech, the occasional maple ...