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WANT AN ENDURING LEGACY? PLANT AN OAK TREE
The more I study oak trees, the more fascinated I become with this ancient genus.
My appreciation for oaks is rooted in the half dozen mature bur oaks (Quercus macrocarpa) growing on my Dahlgren Township property. Several of these towering, muscular oaks were soaking in sunshine before Minnesota became a state (1858). As "teenagers," they probably didn't warrant a second look back then as settlers, fresh off the steamboat, climbed up the hill from nearby Carver. More than 150 growing seasons have given them the equivalent of the wisdom we equate with graceful human aging. In the world of trees, I suppose the synonym for wisdom is "stately."
My favorite local bur oak stands just a couple hundred yards from my office window on a neighbor's property. I include a color slide of the trunk of this oak in tree presentations I give to local groups. The 4-foot diameter grizzly trunk is full of scars from injuries inflicted by a couple centuries of storms. One healed-over circular scar resembles an oversized horse collar. I told my neighbor that if the tree ever succumbs to disease or a storm, I would like that giant scar section from the trunk. It would make a very impressive picture frame.
My wife is now accustomed to accompanying me on our travels to track down giant oaks. We saw the Wye Oak in eastern Maryland several decades ago, long recognized as the largest white oak (Quercus alba) tree in the U.S. Sadly, the Wye Oak toppled in a rainstorm in June 2002. The tree's measurements were impressive: 382-inch circumference, 96 feet tall, and a crown spread of 119 feet that covered nearly one-third acre. A previous storm in 1984 dropped a branch weighing 35 tons.
Last winter my wife and I drove around downtown Jacksonville, Florida until we located the Treaty Oak (Quercus virginiana), a giant live oak (its common name) that purportedly provided shade to Native Americans as they signed a treaty several centuries ago.
I learned a couple of weeks ago that the largest white oak in Minnesota is growing in Scott County near Belle Plaine. It achieved that distinction during the past year when its mass surpassed Minnesota's previous largest white oak in Steele County.
The most surprised I ever was to see an oak tree was in Turkey. We were touring ancient Troy in northwestern Turkey, site of the legendary 10-year siege by the Greeks that culminated with the deceptive entry into the city by Greek soldiers concealed inside the Trojan Horse. While other members of my group scurried around the layered rock foundations of 12 civilizations, I ogled at exotic oak trees bearing 2-inch diameter shaggy acorns. In a terrain predominated with cypress and olive trees, I simply wasn't expecting to see oak trees.
A few days after discovering the oaks at Troy, I purchased a book titled "Trees and shrubs of Greece." I learned from the book that oaks were sacred to Zeus, Jehovah, Allah and Thor. The book included descriptions of 13 distinct oak species indigenous to Greece.
Most people visit Las Vegas seeking pleasures other than gardens and trees. In September, my loyal wife once again tagged along as we toured Red Rock Canyon 17 miles west of the neon city. Red Rock Canyon is located in the high desert of southern Nevada and has an elevation range from 3,600 - 4,500 feet and annual rainfall of 8-10 inches.
One of the plants growing amongst the red rocks is shrub live oak (Quercus turbinella), a clump-forming or clonal evergreen shrub that only grows from 3 to 8 feet in height. Its leathery leaves resemble holly and persist through the winter. I was surprised to see a 3-foot mature tree loaded with slender acorns that, we were told, provide food for deer, rock squirrels, birds and other wildlife. The acorns are also a rich source of tannic acid, used in tanning hides.
There are about 450 species of oaks in the world, nearly all in the northern temperate zone. Although our Minnesota oaks drop their leaves each fall (some red oak leaves hang on until spring), most oaks are evergreen. Live oak and scrub live oak are evergreens, for example.
We should plant more oaks in Minnesota instead of filling every new yard with ash, lindens and white birch. When you plant an oak tree, you are planting a tree that you can enjoy for all of your years. Then, decades from now, your children and grandchildren, and their grandchildren, will swing and picnic under that tree and think nice thoughts about you.
If you still have a space, here are the best oaks for Minnesota: White oak (Q. alba), bur oak (Q. macrocarpa), red oak (Q. rubra), bicolor oak (Q. bicolor) and pin oak (Q. palustris). Several of these oaks prefer slightly acidic soil so knowing your soil's pH will help in selecting the most suitable oak for your situation.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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