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Quercus rubra / Quercus macrocarpa
| The Red Oak is the Provincial tree for Prince Edward Island. Both the Northern Red Oak and Bur Oak have a broad, rounded crown which makes for dense shade. They grow up to 24 metres tall with a trunk diameter of 60-90 cm. The Red Oak’s leaves are 10-25 cm long, lobed, with sharp, pointed ends. Bur Oak has leaves that are similar, but rounded on the ends. The fruit or acorn of the Red Oak has saucer-like cup, made of red-brown scales, and covers approximately 1/3 of the acorn, measuring about 1.5 to 2.5 cm. It’s easy to differentiate the Bur Oak by its acorn, with large fringed cup. The young tree has bark that is smooth and slate-gray, but becomes dark brown to almost black, developing shallow, vertical ridges to appear slightly "striped" on the upper bark as it matures. In the Algonquin Highlands, you can find these trees on both stream terraces and dry ridges, but they prefer moist, well-drained, sheltered slopes and deep, fine-textured soils. The Red Oak susceptible to oak wilt and root rot, but is otherwise relatively free of problematic pests and diseases. Like the Red Oak, the Bur Oak is also very hearty and disease resistant with few known major insect or disease problems. The wood is hard, strong and heavy, harvested by man for furniture, and other building uses. It does not hold liquids well and is not used for making barrels. The acorns are eaten by White-tailed Deer, Raccoons, Squirrels, Blue Jays and small rodents. The buds and young twigs are browsed by Deer once the winter acorns have been exhausted. |
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