my poor cherry tree

Hello, I have a cherry tree which has several deep vertical cracks in the bark. These cracks are pretty deep, about an inch. I have taken some photos of them which can be seen at this link: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2127161389

The cracks were crawling with ants and woodlice. All very unpleasant for the poor tree which has suffered . The leaves come out OK in spring but are now just looking tired and autumnal. In high summer they drop!
We moved into the house 15 months ago and this tree affords useful shelter and privacy so I dont want to lose it. I have fed the tree with some growmore, killed the ants and woodlice with some powder and recently replaced the slabs around the tree with nice new turf. It hasnt helped!
Any ideas whats wrong and how can I help my poor tree?
Thanks!

 

This does'nt sound good. Cherry trees arent particularly long lived so it may just be getting old in which case there isnt much you can do. There are a few reasons that it might have developed the cracks in the bark but the real problem is that the cracks let in nasties. Cherries are particularly susceptible to canker which will get in through any wound or even the leaf scars. There is no cure for canker. Do a search for cherries and canker on the web and you will find sites with pictures that you will be able to compare with your one. I think that the ants and woodlice are a symptom of the problem rather than the problem itself. Sorry

 

thanks very much for your help ... I suspected it was bad news! I will do a search as you suggest.