There is a forest out there…

Why do we need trees in the city? Why should we care?

Quercus palustris – Big Ass Pin Oaks.

The Quercus pulstris

Pin Oak

If I have someone call a Willow Oak a Pin Oak one more time…

This is a Pin Oak. These alternate, simple, spiked, lobed leaves look like a oak leaf. not a willow oak leaf. These pin oaks grow fast. And big. It’s one of the faster growing oaks, growing 12-15′ over 5-7 years. They average about 60 to 70′ in height with a canopy of 25-40′ wide. This years National Register of Big Trees fall 2012 edition lists the biggest “registered” Quercus palustris as a 109′ tall 110′ wide tree out of Greene County, Indiana. Right down the road in Newport News, Va lies a 104′ tall 100′ wide pin oak. Pin oak is a relatively short lived species, reaching maturity at 80-100 years. This tree has a very strong excurrent growth habit. Pin oak is not a self pruner, meaning in a natural environment it will retain many of its smaller lower branches. In natural environments these lower limbs die but do not fall off for a very long time. These retained branches create small ” pin knots ” in the trunk, which when cut into lumber you see these knots. Hence the Pin Oak.