The Mighty Oak

[jk96]

We have a burr oak on our property that I knew was fairly large but have never really paid much attention to it over the years. It has been covered up with vines and crowded by other mature trees inside the timber line. A couple of years ago I took a closer look and it was looking pretty sad. The canopy looked sparse, dead lower limbs, and figured it was seeing it's last days. I cleaned up the vines and overgrowth, cut a few trees around it, giving it access to a lot more light, especially the lower limbs.

Today I had the brush cutter on the loader and did some more cleanup around it. Surprisingly the canopy this year looks really healthy. Took some measurements today and the diameter using circumference of the tree is 51 inches making this one likely 250 to 300+ years old. Hard to believe this thing started growing in the 1700's.

Anyone here have some impressive trees on their property? This is the only one of this size and age on ours.

One more with me next to it for size reference.

 

[bigtiller]

I bet the tree likes you for that. Now give it a treat with some 12-6-6 or 12-4-8 fertilizer.

I planted a bur oak in my back yard about 20 years ago. We are just now getting acorns from it.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

I used to buy my lumber from a guy with a bandsaw mill. I was at his place picking up some walnut and I noticed a huge burr oak log. It was 54" in diameter and wasn't spoken for so I asked him to quartersaw it for me and I'd buy the entire log worth of lumber. He had to quarter it first with a chainsaw to fit on his mill. The lumber from that tree is absolutely stunning. It's a shame a tree that size got cut down, but at least it will live on as furniture instead of being burnt as firewood.

 

[ericb2400]

A couple of our trees

 

[lman]

We had a town named Burr Oak but no Burr Oak trees. We have some big White Oaks though.

 

[Thomas]

if that oak could only what it's seen over the years.

 

[dodge man]

I’m betting you meant the diameter 51 inches, it looks that big by your pictures. Neat old tree.

 

[jk96]

My

I’m betting you meant the diameter 51 inches, it looks that big by your pictures. Neat old tree.

Wording probably wasn't the best. I measured the circumference in order to estimate the diameter at 51".

Circumference was 160"

 

[dodge man]

I got 50.93 inches but I guess you rounded up.

 

[BackRoad]

Don't tell my wife I posted this! She'll be using me to fertilize it...