Need help with cherry tree, please!

Is it possible to save this cherry tree? Bark is peeling off.
And what could be the reason for it? The photos are taken facing southwest, so it does not look like a sunburn.
Thank you!

I suspect that this may be sun scald damage. Apparently this can happen on the West side:
From ask2extension

sun scald.  Bark will crack open as a result of daily freeze thaw cycles during the winter where sunlight shining on that side of the tree warms the tree but then suddenly freezes as soo as the sun sets.

Have you had particularly bright days and cold nights this spring? It looks nasty. I suspect that that left branch may not be savable, but would be best pruned back. Apparently painting the trunk white, or wrapping in paper can help protect them from temperature extremes.
I hope this helps.

Oh I just noticed you said you were facing SW, so the damage is on the North East side of the tree. I may be way out then, sorry!

Do you know anyone with a sharp knife and a grudge against your tree?

Thank you, Nancy! Apparently, we did have some weird weather. I think I should paint the branches white as well as the trunk on all of my trees.

that looks bad. but the leaves popping out of branches still look very good. if it were me I would just let it do what its going top do this year and if the tree survives which it very likely might in the spring when when flowers pop out that is the time to prune it.
I have some trees with very ugly scars but they keep on growing.

Knowing the cause would be very helpful and I hope someone solves that mystery.
In the mean time, if it were my tree, I would lop off the damaged half of the tree. The peeling is happening in multiple places on the left branch but I don't see any on the right in the photo. After removing the left side, I would follow Sepp Holzer's "Bridge Grafting" instructions to close the wound using scion "sutures" harvested from the healthy branches. Detailed drawings for the surgery and suturing are shown on page 129 of Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale , Integrative Farming and Gardening. He describes the bridge grafting procedure as follows:
"Scions are cut to size and angled at the ends (as with cleft grafting). T-shaped slits are made in the rootstock [perpendicular to] the damaged area [where] the bark is peeled back slightly. Now the scions are inserted into the [T] cuts [thus mending the gap].... Then the graft is bound with raffia and painted with grafting wax; The buds, as always remain uncovered."
Since the bud(s) will produce a new branch, the "bridge" should probably be positioned so the bud(s) will grow in the desired direction.
Like I said, I would do this if it were my tree mainly because I'm curious about bridge grafting and would like to see if this could actually save this cherry or help me learn so I could use the technique on a future tree.
Good luck Wi!

I've seen a mimosa (Acacia dealbata) with peeling bark - looked like the unusually cold weather caused the wood within to freeze and expand. And kill the whole plant. You're lucky!

I talked to a local expert, and in his opinion the cause of the above is the "cold weather event" we experienced this winter. In January 2024 temperature dropped to between -15F and -20F (which is -25C to -30C) after being around freezing point for weeks, causing lots of burst pipes and lots of damage to the fruit trees in the area... Sweet cherries are apparently not designed to withstand this!