The Oak Tree Appreciation Thread.

[arcticwolf]

Oaks are my favorite trees. Their majesty is undeniable. People since the time immemorial have admired oaks. It's a true marvel of nature. Post pictures, stories about oaks.

Here is an example of Live Oak named Angel Oak on Johns Island,SC the oldest tree east of the Mississippi River, estimated to be more than 1400 years old.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/Angel_Oak_Tree_in_SC.jpg

[The Lawspeaker]

http://www.meijco.nl/fotos%20landschap/oude%20eik5106.jpg

http://www.marcelbex.be/zenphoto/cache/bomen-struiken/Oude-eik.jpg_595.jpg

I agree. We should plant more oak trees as they have always been traditional landmarks here - steeped in legend and tradition.

[arcticwolf]

Willow Oak:

http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~chbriand/Bigtrees/Photos/QuPh.jpg

[arcticwolf]

White Oak

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/5073619644_73d7959aaf.jpg

[Albion]

A mildew accidentally brought from America on some logs has infected oaks in some areas of Europe. It makes them fail in shaded conditions meaning that they can't grow well as a tree in woods any more. Out in the open it doesn't affect them so much because of the increased light so many of the newer oaks are found in hedges or in fields.

This is why all plants and animals should be checked at the borders for diseases before they're allowed in. Gardeners have brought enough diseases to Europe on exotic plants, we don't need any more.
The checks at borders would make importation of plants from places like the Netherlands impractical too since there'd be delays, that would help our own Fenland growers. NL would have to seek other markets I'm afraid, but they could still supply fruit and veg without going through the checks.

[Albion]

I agree. We should plant more oak trees as they have always been traditional landmarks here - steeped in legend and tradition.

Yes, not just oaks though. English Elms used to characterise lowland England but are a rare site now since Dutch Elm Disease struck (that's its name over here). All the English Elms were actually clones taken from cuttings of some original trees introduced with the Romans.
There are some Elms in East Anglia with some resistance, we need to cross breed resistant Elms with English Elms and then breed the offspring to look like the original English Elms and launch a replanting programme.
Elms are some of the fastest growing trees and grow from cuttings so it wouldn't be too hard.

Other trees I'd like to see planted more often are Beech and Hornbeam in Southern England, Hybrid red Hawthorn in the Midlands and Rowan in Northern England.

Unnecessary, underutilised country lanes should be pulled up and planted as corridors of woodland with paths through them. They'd be important habitats and increase our woodland cover whilst saving money and benefiting people.

And finally I'd like to see a few areas of England abandoned to form wilderness. The North Pennines where few people live and the sheep farming and mining industries are dying is a good place. People are leaving it pretty quickly and there aren't enough women to go around (Alston).
Another area which would be perfect for that would be the Somerset levels. It floods each winter and is fit for nothing anyway, we might as well let it return to marsh, fen and carr. It'd make a good habitat for cranes.
Wolves, beavers, lynx and wild boar could be reintroduced to the North Pennines if a fence was put around it or if the passes out were blocked. Eventually forests would spread back.

[arcticwolf]

Yes, not just oaks though. English Elms used to characterise lowland England but are a rare site now since Dutch Elm Disease struck (that's its name over here). All the English Elms were actually clones taken from cuttings of some original trees introduced with the Romans.
There are some Elms in East Anglia with some resistance, we need to cross breed resistant Elms with English Elms and then breed the offspring to look like the original English Elms and launch a replanting programme.
Elms are some of the fastest growing trees and grow from cuttings so it wouldn't be too hard.

Other trees I'd like to see planted more often are Beech and Hornbeam in Southern England, Hybrid red Hawthorn in the Midlands and Rowan in Northern England.

Unnecessary, underutilised country lanes should be pulled up and planted as corridors of woodland with paths through them. They'd be important habitats and increase our woodland cover whilst saving money and benefiting people.

And finally I'd like to see a few areas of England abandoned to form wilderness. The North Pennines where few people live and the sheep farming and mining industries are dying is a good place. People are leaving it pretty quickly and there aren't enough women to go around (Alston).
Another area which would be perfect for that would be the Somerset levels. It floods each winter and is fit for nothing anyway, we might as well let it return to marsh, fen and carr. It'd make a good habitat for cranes.
Wolves, beavers, lynx and wild boar could be reintroduced to the North Pennines if a fence was put around it or if the passes out were blocked. Eventually forests would spread back.

Same name is used in USA. The disease originated in China. American Elms have been decimated by it. Since then new hybrids have been introduced that are resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Also Chinese Elm have become popular since they are naturally resistant to this disease. American Elm is a majestic tree and now there is a chance we will save them, but at one time it seemed hopeless.

http://ferrebeekeeper.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/american-elm.jpg

[Albion]

Same name is used in USA. The disease originated in China. American Elms have been decimated by it. Since then new hybrids have been introduced that are resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Also Chinese Elm have become popular since they are naturally resistant to this disease. American Elm is a majestic tree and now there is a chance we will save them, but at one time it seemed hopeless.

http://ferrebeekeeper.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/american-elm.jpg

English Elms used to be one of the most common trees here, now they're very rare.
They re-grow from the roots of the old elms in hedges but once they reach a certain height the disease kills them back to the roots.
Resistant varieties are being developed but there's none that are immune yet. It's such a shame, they've been a part of our landscape since the Romans and now they only survive in a few enclaves. At least if disease resistant varieties are developed it will make the trees tougher in future.
Elms disappeared from the pollen record here quite abruptly a few thousand years ago. It's thought that a disease had wiped them out then too and that eventually the resistant ones recolonised the country.

[Contra Mundum]

Oaks are an obsession in Mobile, Alabama.

Some streets need to be widened to accommodate growing traffic, but the city will not permit any tree cutting.

http://0.tqn.com/d/forestry/1/0/h/i/live_oak_mobile3.jpg
http://www.southerntravelnews.com/images/contentmanaged/Boone_Hall_Avenue_of_-4338%5B1%5D%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg
http://www.nrem.iastate.edu/old/students/undergrad/Learning/For/FFC/ffc_06/ffcblgpic/17_5.jpg
http://www.nativetreesociety.org/fieldtrips/alabama/20090525-mobile/Protestant%20Childrens%20Home%20Oak%204.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6102/6349848920_3ac6d6a887_z.jpg
http://www.fotothing.com/photos/7f6/7f691c0864c27cee872e8f7e3783e9a4.jpg

[Siberian Cold Breeze]

I love all these big monumental trees and I feel a close connection with them ,
I most love sycamore trees , but all other huge old oak trees ,firs,beeches ,cypress fills me with joy and respect ..i can spend a whole day around such a tree...

This 700 years old oak tree in Eskişehir Turkey is monumental and sacred and under protection..produce leaves every 6 of May, is oldest tree in this region respected by villagers ..(ribbons on tree shows that)
23O CM diameter 7 metres around its trunk

ESKİŞEHİR (İHA) - Eskişehir'de, 'karbon' testi yöntemiyle 700 yaşında olduğu tespit edilen dev meşe ağacı koruma altına alındı.

Seyitgazi ilçesine bağlı Çürüttüm köyünde bulunan çapı 230 santimetre, çevresi ise yaklaşık 7 metre olan 700 yıllık meşe ağacı, bir kez daha yeşerecek. Her yıl 6 Mayıs'ta yaprak açan ve vatandaşların kutsal olduğuna inandığı meşe, bölgedeki en yaşlı ağaç olma özelliğini koruyor.

Köy sakinlerinden 84 yaşındaki Halil Çam, "Ben kendimi bildim bileli, bu meşe bu heybetiyle duruyor. Köyümüzden kimse meşeye zarar vermez. Hatta bazı kişiler dilek ağacı olarak kullanıyor. Her yıl Hıdırellez'in de içinde bulunduğu Mayıs ayının ilk haftası yeşerir" dedi.

Tarihi Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun kuruluşuna denk gelen ve Orman Bölge Müdürlüğü tarafından koruma altında tutulan ağaç, Eskişehir Valiliği'nin hazırladığı tanıtım kitabında da yer aldı.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/6957/eskisehirde700yillikdev.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/eskisehirde700yillikdev.jpg/)


http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/6957/eskisehirde700yillikdev.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/109/eskisehirde700yillikdev.jpg/)

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/6957/eskisehirde700yillikdev.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/843/eskisehirde700yillikdev.jpg/)

[arcticwolf]

Oaks are an obsession in Mobile, Alabama.

Some streets need to be widened to accommodate growing traffic, but the city will not permit any tree cutting.


http://www.southerntravelnews.com/images/contentmanaged/Boone_Hall_Avenue_of_-4338%5B1%5D%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg


I don't live in the coastal area anymore unfortunately, and Live Oaks adorned with Spanish Moss is what I miss the most. Live Oaks are the work of art, nature's masterpiece. The city is right, without these oaks it would lose 90% of it's charm.

[Albion]

We have two species of oak native to Britain - Quercus robur "English Oak" which is native to the east and Quercus petrea "Welsh Oak" native to the west.

http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/faga/querc/querrob15.jpg

[arcticwolf]

The famous Cork Oak from South Western Europe.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/80/Mature_Cork_Oak.jpg

[Albion]

I know I keep mentioning things other than oak, but I do think we really need to put more effort into bringing back English Elms here.
They're clones of Field Elm that is found throughout Southern Europe as far as Northern France (I'm not sure if it's native to England or introduced). The English Elms appear to be cloned from a single specimen that may have been from Italy and ultimately from Turkey and was spread here with the Romans for vine poles.

They're amongst the fastest growing trees in Europe but once infected with the disease they don't live beyond 20 years. They used to be a well known feature of our landscape and grew at field edges. 25 million of them were wiped out. Oak and Ash mostly took their place.
It's a shame, they such beautiful trees.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Large_English_Elm_at_West_Point%2C_NY_4_Sep_2009.j pg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/06/07/article-1284637-09ECC511000005DC-932_468x526.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/English_Elm_avenue.jpg

But someone's found English Elm which appear to be resistant has spent £60,000 of his own money developing it into a disease-resistant variety. A few English Elms were found growing around others which had died due to the disease but never suffered from it.


It can take just one 5mm bark beetle to kill an elm. Each beetle carries up to 500,000 fungal spores and it takes up to three years for a mature elm to be killed by the disease.
A disease-free elm can reach 120ft and live for 400 years.

...

'But as we worked in this particular area, we noticed there were a few trees which seemed to be resistant to the disease. While other trees around them died, these were totally unharmed.
'After about ten years, they were still surviving while every other tree in the area had died and we knew they must be resistant. An expert took cuttings from one of the mature trees for me, which survived - and then kept surviving.
'The trees we have propagated are all still in full leaf, even though there is Dutch elm disease in the hedges just metres from them.'

Mr King, who sells six-year-old 10ft trees for £120 each at the Tree Nursery in Rayne, Essex, added: 'We think these elms are not attractive to the elm beetle.
For some reason they don't like to feed from these trees. Other people are trying to do similar things, and one tree has been imported from America, but it is important to reintroduce the traditional English elm.'
Alan Power, a National Trust gardener at Stourhead in Wiltshire, said: 'It's fantastic that a mature tree has survived. The fact that the cuttings have come from the original elm is brilliant.
'It would be wonderful to see the native English elms back in the countryside again.'


source... (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1284637/The-Dutch-Elm-Disease-destroyer-Man-breeds-tree-resistant-deadly-blight.html)

So it seems it isn't resistant to the disease itself, rather it is unattractive to the pest that carries it.
However I think resistance to the disease itself must be developed to because insects evolve fast and into many subspecies in order to take advantage of differences in plants and conditions. I think it's only a matter of time until that beetle evolves to feed on those specimens.

I think we need to search for resistant Field Elms, the species they're cloned from and breed hybrids to have the resistance of the Field Elm but looks of the English Elm.

[arcticwolf]

So it seems it isn't resistant to the disease itself, rather it is unattractive to the pest that carries it.
However I think resistance to the disease itself must be developed to because insects evolve fast and into many subspecies in order to take advantage of differences in plants and conditions. I think it's only a matter of time until that beetle evolves to feed on those specimens.

I think we need to search for resistant Field Elms, the species they're cloned from and breed hybrids to have the resistance of the Field Elm but looks of the English Elm.

In the USA the privately and government founded research has been going on for a couple of decades now. It's still far from over. I agree with you we must do all we can and then more to preserve those magnificent trees. Thankfully there are a lot of people working full time on this project and people are volunteering their time and expertise to save the Elms. It's so sad to see Elm Street with no elms. :(

[Veneda]

Oak ‘Bartek’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartek_(tree)), the best known Polish oak

Legend says that Polish kings: Boleslaw I the Brave, Wladyslaw II Jagiello and Stanislaw II August Poniatowski would rest in its shade. King Jan III Sobieski allegedly hid treasure under the oak on his way back from the Battle of Vienna (1683).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Dab_Bartek.jpg
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg208/scaled.php?server=208&filename=dsc3278tz4.jpg&res=landing
http://img.interia.pl/wiadomosci/nimg/o/b/Dab_Bartek_fot_Pawel_4242272.jpg
http://foto.poland.gov.pl/cache/imgs/_w800/gallery/image/16583189.jpg

[arcticwolf]

Thank you Veneda. As always, awesome post! 1200 years old, an ancient tree. What a marvel! :)

[Comte Arnau]

The famous Cork Oak from South Western Europe.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/80/Mature_Cork_Oak.jpg


I had one near home when we were kids, and we were forced to chop it off because of the roots threatening the building. :(

I'd say it's the only time in my life when I've felt really sad for a non-human/animal living being. As a kid, I had had a lot of interaction with that tree.

[Damião de Góis]

Oak trees in Portugal include:

Quercus faginea (Carvalho)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Quercus_faginea.jpg/404px-Quercus_faginea.jpg

Quercus suber (Sobreiro)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/KorkeichePortugal1994.jpg/800px-KorkeichePortugal1994.jpg

Quercus ilex (Azinheira)

http://www.portalalentejano.com/imagem_dia/wp-content/azinheira_img.jpg

[arcticwolf]

I had one near home when we were kids, and we were forced to chop it off because of the roots threatening the building. :(

I'd say it's the only time in my life when I've felt really sad for a non-human/animal living being. As a kid, I had had a lot of interaction with that tree.

I know what you mean, tornado destroyed one of my oaks. I was heart broken. :(

[Comte Arnau]

Oak trees in Portugal include:

Quercus faginea (Carvalho)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Quercus_faginea.jpg/404px-Quercus_faginea.jpg

I think we don't have this one, or is very uncommon.


Quercus suber (Sobreiro)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/KorkeichePortugal1994.jpg/800px-KorkeichePortugal1994.jpg

That was the one I had. We call it surera. The Spanish call it alcornoque, which also means nitwit. :D


Quercus ilex (Azinheira)

http://www.portalalentejano.com/imagem_dia/wp-content/azinheira_img.jpg

That's the typical one. We call it alzina.

Two that also exist in Catalonia:

- the carrasca (Quercus rotundifolia)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Quercus_ilex_rotundifolia.jpg/600px-Quercus_ilex_rotundifolia.jpg


- the reboll (Quercus pyrenaica)

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z66/boireta/Tossal%20de%20la%20Baltassana/G-005.jpg

[Veneda]

Lech, Czech and Rus (Rogalin oaks) are three ancient large oaks in the garden adjacent to the 18th century palace in Rogalin, Greater Poland. They were named after three Slavic brothers who according to the legend (http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/legends/L3B.pdf) established their kingdoms: Lech – Poland, Czech – Czech kingdom and Rus – Russia.

http://www.myfinepix.com.mt/sites/default/files/imagecache/full/gallery/394271/deby_rogalinskie.jpg
http://blog.świat.katowice.pl/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/821fc_rogalin_027.jpg
http://www.polskiekrajobrazy.pl/images/stories/big/77475Park_Lech_Czech_i_Rus.JPG

[Contra Mundum]

I don't live in the coastal area anymore unfortunately, and Live Oaks adorned with Spanish Moss is what I miss the most. Live Oaks are the work of art, nature's masterpiece. The city is right, without these oaks it would lose 90% of it's charm.

That picture was taken at Springhill College. A small Roman Catholic Jesuit school in Mobile. Like New Orleans, Mobile was founded by the French. It was incorporated in 1703. Pretty old for an American city. It was the first city in America to have a Mardi Gras celebration. Older than the one in New Orleans.

That little campus has beautiful oak trees everywhere.

[♥ Lily ♥]

Very nice and interesting and informative thread. I love all the beautiful pictures too. :heartbea: I'll give it a 5-star rating. :thumb001:

[Daco Celtic]

Coast Live Oak
Quercus agrifolia, the California live oak coast live oak, or holm oak, is a highly variable, often shrubby evergreen oak tree, a type of live oak, native to the California Floristic Province. It grows west of the Sierra Nevada mountain range from Mendocino County, California, south to northern Baja California in Mexico. It is classified in the red oak section of oaks (Quercus sect. Lobatae).

https://i.imgur.com/RDaSq2t.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/PVo4x7j.png