I'd say you need to clean that knot off first.

Maybe the crack doesn't go into the tree's wood (or I just can't tell from
the photo)

Maybe since you have that knot depression pointing up, rot has set in and is
eating away more good wood than the crack affects.

Hard to tell with all the bark and wood around it.

John

wrote in message
oups.com...
This is one of my oak trees:

ftp://diy-efi.org/uploads/sgr/137_3781.jpg

The trunk that goes up and off the right of the picture has a large
crack in it, right where the first smaller branch is growing out:

ftp://diy-efi.org/uploads/sgr/137_3782.jpg
ftp://diy-efi.org/uploads/sgr/137_3783.jpg
ftp://diy-efi.org/uploads/sgr/137_3784.jpg

These are closeups taken from the other side.

I'm guessing the answer is yes, but does this trunk need to be cut off
before it breaks? This is a tree that my kids play around.

thanks,
--steve