Why Choose a Red Oak for your yard??
Chosen by homeowners for there amazing shape and beautiful colours selected by city planners for their long tap roots that don't disturb sidewalks, and picked by the lumber industry for their top quality hardwood, oaks provide something for everyone. Oak trees are deciduous hardwood trees with toothed leaves. The majority of oaks lose their leaves in the fall they come in a wide range colours from red, yellow, orange, and brown. Oaks produce acorns in the fall, which can germinate into new oak trees. Oaks can live for hundreds of years. On Long Island, New York, the famous 'black oak' in Lloyd Harbor was estimated to be at least 400, if not 500 years old. Oaks can grow up to thirty to forty feet or more in height and develop great shape. One of the fastest growing oaks, northern red oak is tolerant of urban conditions and is a popular tree for urban planting. It can grow in a variety of habitats, but does well in dry, open sunny sites with acidic soils. Its canopy, which is not too dense, is suitable for shade while still allowing some light through. It resists most diseases and pests and transplants easily.
RED OAK quercus rubra
Species range
Basic Information
- The red oak is a medium-large tree
- Grows straight and tall, average height is 26m
- Record height is 43m tall
- Taller trees may have a diameter of 50-100cm, where shorter trees with restricted growing area may not grow as tall but they can be up to 2m in diameter
- Bark
- Dark reddish grey colouring
- Has large pronounced ridges
- Generally smooth and grey with some lighter vertical lines on younger trees
- As the tree ages the bark develops dark furrows which separate long grey ridges
- Leaves
- 10 – 20cm long and 5 – 10 cm wide
- 7 – 9 points
- Leaves turn bronze to red in the fall and often remain on the tree during winter
- Alternate arrangements
- Flowers
- Male and female flowers are found separately on the same tree
- Male pollen are green in colour, 10 – 13cm and are found along with the leaves
- Female seeds are red, and are found individually or in small bunches on leaf axils or on new twigs
- Fruit
- Are acorns – reddish brown nut
- 12 – 28 mm
- Grow individually or in itty bitty bunches
- 2 years to mature – from a green colour to a reddish brown colour in the fall
- Life Span
- The life span of a Red Oak in optimal growing conditions is up to 500 years according to the USDA (United states department of agriculture)
- Proffered Growing Conditions
- Moisture: Can tolerate a variety of moisture levels
Shade: Prefers full sun, but can tolerate some shade
Soil: Grows in a variety of soils
Carbon Sequestering of the Red Oak
The CO2 needed to be absorbed to grow a red oak tree to 15cm in diameter is 127 kg of C02.
In one year the red oak can take in 4.2 kg CO2.
The CO2 needed to be absorbed to grow a red oak tree to 15cm in diameter is 127 kg of C02.
In one year the red oak can take in 4.2 kg CO2.