Always love a good English Oak discussion.
I am a fan...... a booster. For near 50yrs.
Generally speaking, I ain't a big fan of other intentionally planted native oaks for a habitat project.
I just ain't gonna live long enough for a white oak, a bur, a pin, a red, or any of the marketed 'hybrid' oaks.....to get big enough to yield much at all.
I know. I've tried growing 'em all. And many are growing now on the farm, but they ain't producing much of anything at all. Sure, sometimes I get a decent season with one tree or another, but they just ain't dependable. Same can be said about the native sown/grown oaks of any variety.
Now, on the other hand, English Oaks.
Like the poster above mentioned I have them regularly begin producing at the 7/8 year range. (from acorn)
By 10/11 they are throwing a helluva yield of acorns.
I have trees right now on the farm that are 16yrs old (from acorn) that will drop a hundred+ pounds of nuts.
And the yields are getting bigger. Weather, of course, does impact the production, but they still have a satisfying drop every year. Far more than any native I had....natural or sown.
I first saw the amazing yields from 40yr old trees on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing. Huge yields. I was gobsmacked.
And shortly began collecting nuts from the heaviest producers.
I propagated them for years,(they are easy), butI now generally only grow 2 or 3 seedling each year as I've got plenty of EO's on my ground. And need to put other stuff in those sunny spots that become available.
As said by someone else, they are NOT natives and do not reach the ancient ages that European EO's reach.......hundreds and hundreds of years.
Speaking of old EO's ---- a few years ago we visited Nuremberg, Germany, as tourist travelers.
We visited the site of the famous Hitler Nuremberg Rallies at the 'rally' grounds. We've all seen the Leni Riefenstahl films of those events.....Triumph of the Will.
Anyway, right near the main podium I noticed a monstrous English Oak. The largest I had ever seen. It must be a couple hundred years old (?).
But the nut load was unbelievable.......there must of been hundreds and hundreds of pounds.....300? 400? more? I dunno, but it was huge.
So huge I pointed it out to my companions who were as amazed as I was.
Unfortunately it was in August so the acorns were weeks away from being viable.....otherwise I would have pocketed several for my seedling nursery.
The old QDMA Native Habitat forum several times had good informative EO threads. Maybe someone can search 'em out.