Seven Reasons to Plant an Oak Tree

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The Value of Planting a Tree

When my grandparents married and moved into the home they lived in when I knew them, they planted an oak tree. Many years later, I played under the majestic spreading branches of that very tree, which shaded a good portion of their back yard and sported a swing that I loved. I suspect that this childhood experience was the beginning of my love of trees.

Red oak

My baby oak tree, in the fall.

My own oak tree, planted from an Arbor Foundation seedling about four years ago, is growing well. It’s a red oak, and true to its name, the leaves are a beautiful rusty red in the fall. Although it will be years before it’s tall enough stand beneath or attach a swing to, I am enjoying watching it grow.

An old Chinese quotation says: ““The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

The Arbor Foundation website offers a list of ten reasons to plant a tree. (See the website for the entire list.)

Here are the highlights:

1. Most importantly perhaps, from a global perspective, trees help reduce pollution and slow global warming. They sequester carbon, reduce temperatures, and prevent erosion along river banks and streams.

2. On a more personal level, trees help you save money by conserving energy. With one or more trees near your home, you can cut your air conditioning costs by 15-35 percent, and your heating bills by 15-20 percent.

3. Trees help you earn money by increasing the value of your home by as much as 15 percent.

4. If you want a wildlife garden, you can do nothing better than to plant a tree. According to Ecosystem Gardening, a native oak, for example, can support over 500 species of animal life.

5. If you want seasonal beauty, a tree is a treasure.  Buds and bare branches or the green of a conifer can add to winter’s beauty. Some trees offer flowers or catkins in the spring. Some have flowers or berries in summer, and some have fruit in the fall. Many of them, including oaks, offer vibrant fall color. Leaves and bark can add  color and texture to your yard throughout the year. The play of light and shadow that sun shining through branches provides can be startlingly beautiful.

It’s Time to Choose

From time to time, for one or more of the reasons listed above, every gardener needs or wants to plant a new tree. It’s often tempting to choose a tree that grows quickly, but an excellent choice, for many reasons, is a slow-growing tree such as an oak.

According to the Love to Know website and other resources, oaks make good choices for many reasons.

  • Homeowners love them for their grace and beauty.
  • City planners love them because they have long tap roots that don’t break up sidewalks.
  • Once established, they require little care and almost no pruning.
  • Many species of wildlife love them for the food and shelter they provide.
  • According to Off the Grid News, those who wish to live off the grid appreciate oak trees because of their numerous healing properties. For instance, boiled or crushed oak leaves have antiseptic properties. You can apply them like a poultice to reduce swelling, skin irritation and bleeding.
  • Foragers can collect acorns, process them, and use them as a substitute for chestnuts in recipes, says Lisa M. Rose, author of Midwest Foraging.
  • 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 before a storm took it down in 2006.
Oak Leaf Collage

These varieties of oak and others offer beautiful spring and fall color to your yard.

More About Oaks

Oak trees are deciduous hardwood trees. Their toothed leaves turn either scarlet or a rusty brown in the fall, depending on the species. They produce acorns in the fall, which can germinate into new trees. or simply feed wildlife — or foragers. Oaks can soar up to thirty, forty or more feet in height and develop a pleasing shape without any pruning.

The Arbor Foundation website includes a page about oaks. You can see photos of the various varieties of oak, some of which can grow in southern United States, and some of which can grow into Zone 3.

The Value of Oaks to Wildlife

According to the University of Florida Extension, oaks welcome creatures of all sorts, including birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. Among the most useful of all hardwood trees to wildlife, they offer food, shelter, and places to hide, nest, or roost. Here’s how:

  • Leaves, twigs, and young shoots provide browse for deer and rabbits and nest-building materials for birds.
  • Leaves provide food for insects, moth larvae and predatory spiders — and these creatures in turn provide food for birds.
  • Acorns are the oak’s most valuable offering. More than 100 species of vertebrate animals consume acorns, including deer, squirrels, wild turkeys, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, and foxes. Learn more about acorns here.
  • Dense oak leaves provide cover for both birds and mammals.
  • Cavities in the trunks of living or dead oaks are home to many birds and mammals.
  • Oak leaves on the ground shelter many small mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Planting Tips

Oak trees do have long taproots, so if you decide to plant one, site it carefully in a place with plenty of room. Be sure to dig your planting hole twice as wide as the root ball. Mix in a good bit of compost with the dirt you removed from the hole prior to refilling the hole, to encourage and support the beneficial mycorrhizal fungi that help oaks to grow well. Be sure to keep the tree well watered for the first 2-3 years until it is established — and protect it from hungry rabbits and deer for at least that long with a circle of chicken wire.

People don’t plant oaks as much as they used to. Slow growth is one reason. Another is the size of the mature oak. For a person with a small yard, an oak may not be the best choice. But if you have the patience and the space, an oak tree can be quite wonderful. Your grandchildren, should you be lucky enough to have any, will love it.

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