Acorns & Oak Trees

Characteristics

Oak trees have large leaves that that they shed once each year, except in warmer regions, where they keep their leaves year round. Their wood is hard and strong, allowing many for uses. A healthy oak tree can easily consume 50 or more gallons of water each day. Oak trees that are fully grown will reach an average of about 100 feet in height and a canopy of 32 feet. Oak trees live an average of 200 years.

Oak trees are monoecious, meaning that male and female flowers grow on the same tree. When the tree reaches 20 to 50 years of age, in the warmer spring temperatures, the female flowers are pollinated by the male flowers of other oak trees nearby to later form into acorns. A healthy tree can produce about 2,200 acorns per year during its peak. Most acorns will rot or get eaten by animals and insects. However, with the right combination of weather and nutrition, the acorn will mature into a seedling. Only about one in every 10,000 acorns ever becomes a tree.

Almost 60 types of oak trees are native in the United States. Oak tree species can be divided into two groups, red oak and white oak. The white oaks can live for centuries. The wood from white oak is known for holding liquids well. In the north, white oaks can be found from Minnesota to Maine, and in the south from Georgia to Texas. Red oak, or northern red oak, is known for its amazing reddish color and its resilience.

Fire is one of the most common elements in the destruction of oak trees. Beetles, fungi and bad weather are also harmful to oak trees. When fungi plague an oak tree, the wood softens, making the tree vulnerable to other insects and parasites that can even further weaken it. Some insects may also consume a large enough portion of the leaves to negatively affect the entire tree. Birds and other animals eat most acorns before they have a chance to become a tree.

Because oak trees are so large and hardy, they are often used in landscaping to provide beauty and shade. In addition, oak has been timber for building ships, fencing and barrels in colonial times. Oak is used to build furniture and flooring, or can be used as firewood. Acorns provide nourishment for wildlife such as squirrels and chipmunks.