It is indeed possible for trees to split apart in extreme conditions and to do so quite noisily, she said, typically when there’s a big swing in temperatures. In these instances, sap rapidly freezes when the mercury plummets and the tree expands, its trunk or limbs busting open like the buttons on a too-tight shirt after Thanksgiving dinner.

Every time arctic air drops south, and temperatures plummet well below zero, social media lights up with a scary (and slightly cinematic) rumor called "exploding trees."

The Rocky Mountain Region of the U.S. Forest Service has issued an order prohibiting the use of exploding targets on Forest Service lands in the region. Exploding targets were cited as the cause of the Spotted Tail Fire that burned 83 acres south of ...