The stately sycamore trees along the Charles River on Memorial Drive in Cambridge were planted more than 120 years ago.  In 1964, a plan to widen Memorial Drive and remove the trees in order to ease traffic flow gave rise to the Citizens’ Emergency Committee to Save Memorial Drive and the campaign to Save the Sycamores. It worked.

On Sundays (from April – November), a portion of Memorial Drive is closed to traffic, and it is filled with rollerbladers, bikers, walkers of all ages, and often me. Last week, it seemed to me that the sycamores were shedding excessive bark.  Of course, it makes the tree trunks even more beautiful, but I was a bit concerned, especially after I got bonked on the head (but not hurt) by a very large falling piece of bark.

I asked a stranger walking in the other direction if he had noticed that the path was strewn with more bark than usual.  He said yes and suggested that this summer’s excessive heat was probably responsible.

A Google query revealed that “shedding’ or peeling of bark is a normal occurrence during the summer.  “It is part of the natural aging process. This includes commonly planted trees such as the American sycamore.”

One less thing to worry about.