UAlbany Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability Professor Explains Viral “Exploding Tree” Claims

Professor Andrei Lapenas, of UAlbany’s Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability, was featured in a recent NEWS10 report addressing viral claims about so-called “exploding trees” during extreme cold. 

Lapenas explained that trees do not actually explode; instead, the loud cracking sounds sometimes heard during sudden temperature drops are caused by frost cracking, a natural process in which outer wood contracts faster than inner wood. He noted that thin-barked hardwoods such as maple, beech, sycamore, and ash are more susceptible, particularly when stressed, but emphasized that frost cracking is uncommon in the Capital Region and rarely causes serious long-term damage. 

His expert commentary helped clarify a widely misunderstood winter phenomenon as Arctic air moved into the region.

Read the full NEWS10 article.