Be careful using products containing the herbicide Glyphosate like Roundup, around Woody trees and shrubs, because it is linked to splitting bark in many varieties of Acer including Acer palmatum. It was thought that splitting bark was due to freeze thaw, until it started showing up in warm climates like Georgia and Florida. Now the herbicide Glyphosate is linked to weakening the bark making it more prone to splitting. Homeowners and growers alike should take notice. Some of the most prone trees are, but not limited to, Pyrus species, especially Callery pears; Prunus species, especially Yoshino cherry and Kwanzan cherry; Crab apples; Sycamore; Serviceberry; Hawthorn; Mountain Ash; Black Gum; Paper bark maple; Japanese maples, especially variety dissectum; Norway maple, especially ‘Emerald Queen’; Red maples; Dogwood, especially Kousa dogwood; Magnolias, especially Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’; and the yellow magnolias such as Magnolia ‘Butterflies’, ‘Sawada’s Cream’, Magnolia ‘Yellow Bird’ and Magnolia ‘Yellow Lantern’. "Specifically, glyphosate uptake leads to an accumulation of a type of acid called shikimic acid that results in a reduction of phenolics — plant compounds that serve a variety of roles in plant development and survival including defense against pathogens. Research has found that the more glyphosate is taken up by the plant, the higher the shikimic acid levels. In addition, glyphosate stays within the plant for years, being stored in the roots with sugars in the summer and fall, and then translocating to areas of the plant where growth takes place in the spring and continuing to cause injury." For more information: Herbicide Caution: Glyphosate Use May Damage Woody Plants - North Street Neighborhood Association
In France, glyphosate has been banned in public spaces since January 2017, and will be fordidden for all individuals in 2019. After that date, only farmers and professionals will be allowed to use it for some more years, until new solutions are found (?). This is a hot topic here because so far there is no alternative and farmers are strongly against banning it. Also, whole pages in the report transmitted to the European commissions have been proven to be copied from reports by "experts" paid by Monsanto... Some compare it to the scandal of asbestos, whose toxicity (already exposed in the late 19th century) was denied by "experts" and decision-makers until proven to be highly carcinogenic.
It seems common sense is slowly gaining ground: Glyphosate : les eurodéputés pour une interdiction d’ici à cinq ans, la Commission revoit sa copie
Here is a good fact sheet: Glyphosate General Fact Sheet Information on how it's used in food production: Are You Eating Glyphosate? How Organic Farming Can Help I found this article interesting too. It's more in line with human health concerns: https://www.google.com/amp/s/medicalxpress.com/news/2017-10-human-glyphosate.amp "Researchers compared the levels of glyphosate in the urine of 100 people living in California. It covered a 23-year period starting from 1993, the year before the introduction of genetically-modified crops tolerant to Roundup. Glyphosate-containing Roundup, produced by US agro giant Monsanto, is one of the world's most widely-used weedkillers. "Prior to the introduction of genetically modified foods, very few people had detectable levels of glyphosate," said Paul Mills, of the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, the study's principal author. Among the study group, detectable amounts increased from an average of 0.20 micrograms per liter in 1993-1996 to an average of 0.44 micrograms in 2014-2016. These figures are far from the daily limit of 1.75 milligrams per kilogram set by the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the even stricter limit of 0.3 milligrams per kilogram in the European Union. "Our exposure to these chemicals has increased significantly over the years but most people are unaware that they are consuming them through their diet," Mills said. Roundup was initially used on genetically modified soy and corn, but it is also sprayed on a substantial portion of wheat and oats grown in the US, he said. In July, California listed glyphosate as carcinogenic, and the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer called it "probably carcinogenic" in 2015."
