The Year of the Oaks
- Thread starter Native Hunter
- Start date
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Post Oak (Quercus stellate)
Even though I didn’t order any, I ended up with a few post oaks in my planting. This is a species that is very much native to our area, and one I have seen before many times in the surrounding countryside. It’s a member of the White Oak Family, and here are a few facts and observations:
Post Oak acorns are low in tannin, which makes them desirable to deer. They are also smaller than regular white oak acorns, which make them attractive to turkeys as well.
Post Oak acorns generally fall just a little later than regular white oak acorns. After the white oaks are gone, a good post oak can be a great place to find a deer feeding.
Post Oak is a medium sizes tree. In the southeast, the species generally gets 50-60 feet tall; therefore, it can be shaded out by taller species. The best one I have found is at the edge of my planting where there is no danger of it being shaded out..
Post Oak generally grows on dry sites.
The tree exhibits marcescence – holding dead leaves most of the winter.
Here is the USDA link for the species: Quercus stellata Wangenh (usda.gov)
Here are the leaves on one of my trees:
This was the same tree back in the winter. You can see how it is holding on to the dead leaves:
Here is the same tree recently:
And here is the bark:
That’s about it for Post Oak. Stay tuned and we will sniff out another oak soon.
Even though I didn’t order any, I ended up with a few post oaks in my planting. This is a species that is very much native to our area, and one I have seen before many times in the surrounding countryside. It’s a member of the White Oak Family, and here are a few facts and observations:
Post Oak acorns are low in tannin, which makes them desirable to deer. They are also smaller than regular white oak acorns, which make them attractive to turkeys as well.
Post Oak acorns generally fall just a little later than regular white oak acorns. After the white oaks are gone, a good post oak can be a great place to find a deer feeding.
Post Oak is a medium sizes tree. In the southeast, the species generally gets 50-60 feet tall; therefore, it can be shaded out by taller species. The best one I have found is at the edge of my planting where there is no danger of it being shaded out..
Post Oak generally grows on dry sites.
The tree exhibits marcescence – holding dead leaves most of the winter.
Here is the USDA link for the species: Quercus stellata Wangenh (usda.gov)
Here are the leaves on one of my trees:
This was the same tree back in the winter. You can see how it is holding on to the dead leaves:
Here is the same tree recently:
And here is the bark:
That’s about it for Post Oak. Stay tuned and we will sniff out another oak soon.
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Post oak is just about the slowest growing member of the white oak group... the only one I would pass up as an understock for grafting desirable selections onto, unless nothing else was available
Have run across one occasionally that has good red fall leaf color, but most just go straight to brown.
Have run across one occasionally that has good red fall leaf color, but most just go straight to brown.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Cherry Bark Oak - Quercus pagoda
This is an oak that I have several of in my planting. I would estimate between 15% and 25% of my red oak family trees are this species. Let’s look at some facts:
This species can get very tall. Trees over 130 feet tall are not uncommon. Some of the 17 year old trees in my planting appear to be over 70 feet tall – and I am a decent judge of height due to working around utility poles all my life.
This species is not native to my area, but it is adapted very well to my land.
It has a reputation of producing a good crop most years with heavy crops every 3 or 4 years.
Acorns are somewhat on the small size for the red oak family but very desirable to deer and turkey. Acorns drop in November.
It grows best in well drained bottomland sites but can adapt to other soil conditions. It can withstand flooding for short periods of time.
The timber of this species is highly prized – one of the most sought after red oaks.
See picture and notes below on how the leaf undersides can help identify this species.
Here is a good picture of the acorns on the Mossy Oak site: Cherrybark Oak Seedlings for Sale (Quercus pagoda) – Nativ Nurseries
USDA Link: Quercus falcata (fs.fed.us)
This is a picture of the bark of the tree. Notice how it resembles the bark of a wild cherry.
Many of these trees are already over 60+ feet tall in my planting. They really reach for the sky. Below is a picture of one and you can see how it is 20 feet taller than the nearby white pine that was planted at the same time. I think this tree must be closer to 7o feet tall:
Here is another one near a white pine and the two trees are essentially the same height:
Here are some leaves. The only leaves I was able to reach were some low ones in the shade. The shade leaves are much blockier than the sun leaves.
A distinguishing characteristic of Cherry Bark Oak is the dense and fine hairs (pubescence) on its leaf undersides. Other species in the Red Oak group (Except for Spanish Oak) have either slick undersides or their hairs are only at the junctions of major veins on their leaf undersides. The hairy undersides are hard to see in my pics below, but you can easily feel it when you run against your face.
That’s about it for Cherry Bark Oak. Bonus picture today is a patch of blackberry blooming at the edge of the tree planting – yum, yum…berries and acorns…..
This is an oak that I have several of in my planting. I would estimate between 15% and 25% of my red oak family trees are this species. Let’s look at some facts:
This species can get very tall. Trees over 130 feet tall are not uncommon. Some of the 17 year old trees in my planting appear to be over 70 feet tall – and I am a decent judge of height due to working around utility poles all my life.
This species is not native to my area, but it is adapted very well to my land.
It has a reputation of producing a good crop most years with heavy crops every 3 or 4 years.
Acorns are somewhat on the small size for the red oak family but very desirable to deer and turkey. Acorns drop in November.
It grows best in well drained bottomland sites but can adapt to other soil conditions. It can withstand flooding for short periods of time.
The timber of this species is highly prized – one of the most sought after red oaks.
See picture and notes below on how the leaf undersides can help identify this species.
Here is a good picture of the acorns on the Mossy Oak site: Cherrybark Oak Seedlings for Sale (Quercus pagoda) – Nativ Nurseries
USDA Link: Quercus falcata (fs.fed.us)
This is a picture of the bark of the tree. Notice how it resembles the bark of a wild cherry.
Many of these trees are already over 60+ feet tall in my planting. They really reach for the sky. Below is a picture of one and you can see how it is 20 feet taller than the nearby white pine that was planted at the same time. I think this tree must be closer to 7o feet tall:
Here is another one near a white pine and the two trees are essentially the same height:
Here are some leaves. The only leaves I was able to reach were some low ones in the shade. The shade leaves are much blockier than the sun leaves.
A distinguishing characteristic of Cherry Bark Oak is the dense and fine hairs (pubescence) on its leaf undersides. Other species in the Red Oak group (Except for Spanish Oak) have either slick undersides or their hairs are only at the junctions of major veins on their leaf undersides. The hairy undersides are hard to see in my pics below, but you can easily feel it when you run against your face.
That’s about it for Cherry Bark Oak. Bonus picture today is a patch of blackberry blooming at the edge of the tree planting – yum, yum…berries and acorns…..
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Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Northern Red Oak - Quercus rubra
This is an oak that I have several of in my planting. I would estimate between 15% and 25% of my red oak family trees are this species. This oak is native to my area, and I was already familiar with the species before adding it to my planting. Let’s look at some facts:
This species is generally found in the wild in upland woods, drier areas of floodplains and high riverbanks.
The species is a highly valued timber tree that grows over 100 feet tall on good ground.
The tree transplants easily, and is a popular addition to many CRP plantings.
The leaves are less deeply lobed than many other members of the red oak group. When its leaves are exposed to the sun, its stems often have a reddish cast.
NRO has large acorns with shallow cups that are highly prized by deer and other wildlife.
On my land it has grown very well but not quite as tall as Pin Oak or Cherrybark Oak.
Here is the USDA link: Quercus rubra L (usda.gov)
Here is a good link for telling the difference between Northern and Southern Red Oak: Northern Red Oak vs Southern Red Oak: Identification - bplant.org
Here are some leaf pictures. Note the light green color and reddish cast on some of the leaves.
Here is what the bark looks like in trees the age of mine. The bark tends to change with age:
Here are some typical trees. They are tall, but haven’t quite grown to the height of the Cherrybark Oaks.
That’s it for Northern Red Oak. Another species coming soon.
This is an oak that I have several of in my planting. I would estimate between 15% and 25% of my red oak family trees are this species. This oak is native to my area, and I was already familiar with the species before adding it to my planting. Let’s look at some facts:
This species is generally found in the wild in upland woods, drier areas of floodplains and high riverbanks.
The species is a highly valued timber tree that grows over 100 feet tall on good ground.
The tree transplants easily, and is a popular addition to many CRP plantings.
The leaves are less deeply lobed than many other members of the red oak group. When its leaves are exposed to the sun, its stems often have a reddish cast.
NRO has large acorns with shallow cups that are highly prized by deer and other wildlife.
On my land it has grown very well but not quite as tall as Pin Oak or Cherrybark Oak.
Here is the USDA link: Quercus rubra L (usda.gov)
Here is a good link for telling the difference between Northern and Southern Red Oak: Northern Red Oak vs Southern Red Oak: Identification - bplant.org
Here are some leaf pictures. Note the light green color and reddish cast on some of the leaves.
Here is what the bark looks like in trees the age of mine. The bark tends to change with age:
Here are some typical trees. They are tall, but haven’t quite grown to the height of the Cherrybark Oaks.
That’s it for Northern Red Oak. Another species coming soon.
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Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I'm taking a short break on this thread but will get going again soon. I know that I was getting acorns on some of my trees, because I have found lots of seedlings. But today I saw it for sure - as I was doing some other work, I noticed this tree at the edge of the planting. The tree looked loaded with developing acorns this year.
![[IMG]](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FVZHvudU.jpg&hash=6a50fa74137444526de66b0ff3a40eca "[IMG]")
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
When I have time, I'm going to go back and fix all of the broken pictures in this thread. I hope to get that done in the next few days.
In the meantime, I'm going to post some info and pictures of Sawtooth.
In the meantime, I'm going to post some info and pictures of Sawtooth.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Sawtooth Oak (Quercus acutissima)
The next oak I want to talk about is the Sawtooth. It wasn't originally in my plans to add sawtooths to my tree planting, but that changed one day when I purchased what was supposed to be seedling chestnut trees from a guy who I was buying from back then. I was only giving him 70 cents per tree, and I had asked him to get me 15 chestnut seedlings along with some other trees. When he delivered the trees that day, I knew from looking at the leaves and bark that they were actually sawtooths. Since he was a good friend and a good tree supplier, I took the trees and planted them.
That decision turned out to be a good one. The trees grew fast and in just a few years started dropping lots of nuts that deer relished - and much to my surprise, the nuts were mostly falling late October into early November rather than in September like I had read on the Internet. I went from not being interested in sawtooths to praising them for being an excellent addition to my overall habitat plan. Just in recent days I have set in my blind and watched a multitude of deer, including a 5 year old buck, eating the nuts in daylight.
Sawtooth is not a native oak, and this turns off a lot of people. I understand that sentiment, but based on my observations, I'm not worried about it displacing native oaks to any significant degree, and it certainly doesn't appear to be invasive. Below are some of my thoughts:
* Sawtooth is a more reliable producer than most other native oaks. I have never seen a complete failure in mast production, and most years are good to great.
* The leaves tend to hang on all winter (Marcescence). If lower limbs are left intact, they can be a great screening tree.
* Due to the rapid growth, they have the reputation of being more prone to wind damage that other oaks. I suspect that this is true, but so far mine have endured some severe storms, and I haven't had a single issue.
The first four photos below show two of my bigger trees but not the biggest. These pictures were taken a couple of days ago, and you can see that there were still acorns on the ground.
The last two photos below show a young sawtooth that I grew from an acorn. Note the distinctive bark.
All in all, I think sawtooth is an excellent addition to most habitat plans. Mine drop right with white oaks, and in years when white oak acorns are scarce, sawtooth is like gold. Every deer in the area will be on them until they are gone.
PS- When I taste a sawtooth acorn, the tannin levels are slightly more than white oak - just as I expected.
The next oak I want to talk about is the Sawtooth. It wasn't originally in my plans to add sawtooths to my tree planting, but that changed one day when I purchased what was supposed to be seedling chestnut trees from a guy who I was buying from back then. I was only giving him 70 cents per tree, and I had asked him to get me 15 chestnut seedlings along with some other trees. When he delivered the trees that day, I knew from looking at the leaves and bark that they were actually sawtooths. Since he was a good friend and a good tree supplier, I took the trees and planted them.
That decision turned out to be a good one. The trees grew fast and in just a few years started dropping lots of nuts that deer relished - and much to my surprise, the nuts were mostly falling late October into early November rather than in September like I had read on the Internet. I went from not being interested in sawtooths to praising them for being an excellent addition to my overall habitat plan. Just in recent days I have set in my blind and watched a multitude of deer, including a 5 year old buck, eating the nuts in daylight.
Sawtooth is not a native oak, and this turns off a lot of people. I understand that sentiment, but based on my observations, I'm not worried about it displacing native oaks to any significant degree, and it certainly doesn't appear to be invasive. Below are some of my thoughts:
* Sawtooth is a more reliable producer than most other native oaks. I have never seen a complete failure in mast production, and most years are good to great.
* The leaves tend to hang on all winter (Marcescence). If lower limbs are left intact, they can be a great screening tree.
* Due to the rapid growth, they have the reputation of being more prone to wind damage that other oaks. I suspect that this is true, but so far mine have endured some severe storms, and I haven't had a single issue.
The first four photos below show two of my bigger trees but not the biggest. These pictures were taken a couple of days ago, and you can see that there were still acorns on the ground.
The last two photos below show a young sawtooth that I grew from an acorn. Note the distinctive bark.
All in all, I think sawtooth is an excellent addition to most habitat plans. Mine drop right with white oaks, and in years when white oak acorns are scarce, sawtooth is like gold. Every deer in the area will be on them until they are gone.
PS- When I taste a sawtooth acorn, the tannin levels are slightly more than white oak - just as I expected.
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Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
The Gobbler Sawtooths are supposed to be a strain that makes smaller acorns. They were developed through crossing trees that made smaller acorns. The idea was to get a species that would make acorns that were easier for turkeys to swallow. However, since they are still sawtooths, there can be a lot of variation in the nut size.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Bill, I would like to see examples too - if any exist. I feel that when we hear that it is more just speculation.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
My Overcup Oaks produced a good acorn crop this year. I'm glad to see that my deer are eating them. I had seen mixed reviews about the palatability
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