Interesting, on mine I have not observed that.

Wow. My first reaction is, "That just don't look right." Are you sure that's NOT a canker, or some other response to a fungal invasion? Is the tree healthy otherwise? The few leaves in the photo look great, so I'm guessing 'yes'.

~Allen

I have noticed "fuzzy" stuff on some smaller branches,,,wondered about it

will have to get pic some time

ron

Thanks for the comments! Tree is totally healthy and i have noticed the fuzz since it was a seedling. Here is another photo a little further back.. Basically as the branch grows the bark sort of "hulks out" of itself.. Meaning the layers underneath burst though the outer bark creating this fuzz.. When you rub it, it comes off on your hand..

Jeff

smaller branches only,,and interior only

Yep! That's the stuff.. How old is yours? Mines around 6 years old. Cheers

gee,golly,,I don't know,,maybe 20

That is just the normal branch exfoliation. After the branches reach a certain size, they shed their original bark and expose their more fibrous bark underneath. The fuzzy part will wear away in a season or so, leaving the smoother, fibrous more mature bark. On a tree we grew in Indiana, it seems to be 2-3 year old branches that did this.

Thanks for the comments!! @pakersuga That is sort of what i figured, and ya i agree it seems to just be on the 2-3 yr old branches.. I do wonder though why some specimens seem to not do this.. My other dawn redwood same age pictured below..
Seems like its a case of some but not all grow this way? Here is a terrible pic but you get the point haha.. This one has smoother bark on the 2-3 yr old wood..and never exhibits that fuzzy stuff..

Could be genetic differences. I know I have several bur oak and sweetgum that all came from the same seed nursery, but some have corky ridges on the twigs nearly as thick as the branches themselves, while others are completely smooth. However, dawn redwood are generally pretty inbred and lack the genetic diversity, so maybe your second one is just a late exfoliator.

I also have second DR same age,,none of branches show this

ron