In today's post, I'm going to talk about the red oak, or more specifically the northern red oak. There is also a southern red oak, which is commonly known as Spanish oak. However, we're focusing on Quercus rubra, which is sometimes referred to as Champion Oak. We certainly think that it's a champ. Northern red oak is one of more than six hundred different oak species found around the world.
Red oak is more widely distributed throughout the central-eastern and northeastern US than it is in Canada, although it can be found quite easily throughout eastern Canada, southern Quebec, and southern Ontario. Incidentally, the red oak is the provincial tree of Prince Edward Island! It is also the state tree of New Jersey. Here's a range map for Quercus rubra, courtesy of Wikipedia:
The red oak is a deciduous (broadleaf) hardwood species. It has a very dense wood. In fact, it is denser than ash, chestnut, birch, mahogany, and walnut! While this makes it a desirable species for firewood, it's also the most commonly used hardwood in North America for woodworking and similar uses. You can find red oak in flooring, cabinets, pallets, coffins, railway ties, plywood, wine barrels, and many other applications.
"Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow." You've probably heard that phrase before. It first appeared in print in 1841 in a book called, "The Philosophical Emperor, A Political Experiment." (A.B. Johnson). But how large do they really grow? Well, that depends on the company that they keep. In a forest, a mature oak will often grow to 30 meters in height (almost 100 feet), with a trunk diameter at breast height of up to one meter (three feet). However, some oak trees grow out in the open, whether it is by chance (in nature) or by design (planted). Oak trees that grow in the open adapt to the higher impact of winds. These individual trees will develop deeper roots than red oak in forests, and don't put on as much height. Finally, they'll often develop much thicker trunks to keep themselves from blowing over, sometimes approaching 2 meters (6 feet) in diameter!
The seeds of the oak tree have a unique name, acorns. I tried to find out where that word came from. I found different suggestions. Some sources say that the name comes from the word "akran" in the Gothic language (an east Germanic language). Other sources say that the name comes from the word "aecern," which means berry or fruit in Old English. Perhaps it came from both languages, as some languages borrowed from each other thanks to the influence of travelers.
Acorns are very healthy to eat, although consumption by modern humans is uncommon. However, within the animal kingdom, acorns are a staple to many squirrels, mice, and other rodents. They're consumed in large quantities by bears, wild pigs, and deer. Many birds will eat them, especially jays, ducks, and woodpeckers. Acorns are rich in proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Unfortunately, the tannins found in acorns make them taste quite bitter to humans, which is why they aren't a popular food for us. Red oak acorns are especially bitter compared to acorns from other oak species, so it probably isn't worth your while to go foraging. If you do decide to try them for a snack, do some extensive research first. They should never be eaten raw. To cook them, you'll first have to learn to blanch out the tannins, which can be quite unhealthy. Also, a significant percentage of people are allergic to tree nuts, so eating acorns could be quite dangerous and lead to anaphylactic shock. Proceed with great caution! Acorns (and oak leaves) are also very unhealthy for horses.
Here is a photo of some acorns that we picked a few weeks ago:
Acorns are pretty. And quite recognizable. The leaves of the oak are also very recognizable, thanks to the large serrations on their edges. Here's a photo:
Oak leaves are different than the leaves of most other deciduous species, because some of them typically cling to the tree long after leaves of most other hardwoods have dropped. Nobody is entirely certain why this happens, but not too many species exhibit this behaviour. Trees that keep many of their old leaves through the winter are called marcescent species.
As far as deciduous trees grow, northern red oak grows fairly quickly. Even in the northern extent of its range (in Canada), the tree can grow to be as much as 5m high (16 feet) in just ten years. Red oak trees can have a very long life span. If they aren't disturbed by humans, insects, or wildfire, these trees can often live to be more than 300 years old.
Here are some fun facts about red oak trees:
- Acorns take two years to mature before they fall from the tree. This isn't the case with all species of oaks, but it applies to red oak. Also, some individual oak trees will produce hundreds of thousands of acorns in their lifetime!- These trees are easy to grow, once you find acorns. The general method is to pick the acorns in the fall, keep them chilled (but not frozen) over winter, then to plant them in moist soil in the spring. Some people plant them indoors in small pots first (keeping the soil quite moist) and then transplant them outdoors once the seedlings have become established. There are lots of web sites that give more detailed recommendations.
- Red oak trees, like most humans, prefer sunshine. If you're going to grow them, you should plant them in the open rather than underneath an existing forest canopy.
- Oak trees first became a distinct species about 65 million trees ago. This means that they are much older than humans, and they started to appear about the same time that the dinosaurs died off.
Here is a photo of some of our red oak seedlings:
Thanks for reading!
- Jonathan Clark
www.replant-environmental.ca
Replant.ca Environmental is a Canadian company that plants trees for carbon capture and builds community forests. We also plant trees in national, provincial, and municipal public parks to mitigate damage from wildfires, storms, insects, and forest diseases. We operate thanks to numerous small contributions from the general public, in addition to larger project sponsorships from businesses and corporations around the world. If you'd like to learn how to show your support, visit our donations page. Even if you aren't able to make a contribution, we very much appreciate when people are able to share our posts or our website link on social media, to help spread the word about the work that we're doing!
Teachers are welcome to use content from this post for their classes. If you know a teacher who might like to use this information, please share it with them! The more that people learn about trees, the better our world will be.
To learn more about the various species that we plant, visit the conifers page or the deciduous (hardwoods) page on our website. Thanks so much for your interest!
Incidentally, our organization is often seeking additional land for our carbon capture projects. Please visit this link if you might know of a recently-harvested property that we could rebuild into a permanent legacy forest.
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