Why is there so much bark coming off my gum trees? Are they still healthy?

The growing season for most eucalyptus is summer. When trees grow, they put on new sap wood on the outside and they expand. As a result most smooth bark eucalypts shed a lot of their bark in the summer months.

This bark shedding is called “decorticating” and is a normal thing to see, especially with smooth barked gum trees, such as Sydney Bluegum, Spotted Gum and Ribbon Gums- (hence their name), like eucalyptus viminalis.

Decorticating bark can be seen in many species all year round with long flakes of old bark seen hanging from the crowns of trees.