Chuck Chambers measures a big white oak at Englewood MetroPark |
Strangely though, its pretty difficult to find a young oak out there. The big ones in the woods still produce big crops of fall acorns, but almost none of these seeds become a tree. This phenomenon and problem is not unique to southwest Ohio, it is happening all over the eastern and midwestern United States. It seems we are destined to lose some our most valuable and important forest trees. This chart shows the components of young forests in MetroParks, note the lack of oak.
What is happening to oaks? The three main things that are preventing oak reproduction around here are:
Dull Woods Conservation Area: A very nice fragment. |
2. Too Many Deer- White-tailed deer love to eat acorns, and they especially like oak seedlings. Any oak that does manage to take root in a good spot is likely going to be eaten by a deer. Oaks and deer have always had to co-exist, but with densities these days of over 50 animals per square mile, oaks don't have a chance.
3. Lack of Fire- Oaks have evolved such that trees and their seedlings are resistant to fire. Prior to about 1930 fire was a common occurrence in many of the forests of the United States. In the eastern United States the Native Americans, pioneers, and early settlers commonly used fire to create and maintain open landscapes and forests. Fires around here were not the big crown fires that we see on television out west. They were low ground fires that burned up the leaves and sticks. They also burned up the seedlings of most trees. But oaks had an edge, they could withstand this, and their reproduction was good. Nearly all of the large oaks that we still see today likely had their start after one of these fires. Smokey the Bear was very effective though, and fire is no longer part of woodland management around here. As a result, seeds of other trees such as black cherry, locust, and sugar maple are the ones that get a start.
How can we help oaks? In more forested parts of Ohio the most common method is clearcut logging. Openings are created in existing forests containing oak by removing all the trees in a small area. Acorns and existing young oaks are then free to grow in the sun and make a new oak forest. This works especially well in hilly, wooded southeastern Ohio.
Young Oaks Thriving Thanks to Tree Shelters |
If you want to volunteer to help grow and plant oaks on the MetroParks go to
www.metroparks.org/forests
and sign up!
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