Northern Red oak |
| General |
| Common Name | Northern Red oak |
| Latin Name | Quercus rubra L. |
| Category | Nuts |
| Family | Oak |
| Variety | |
| Visual Traits |
| Flower | yellow-green, monoecious, April-May, at or following leaf emergence |
| Foliage/Fall leaf color | golden yellow brown |
| Fruit / Nut | acorn occurs singly or clusters of 2-5; ripen Augst to mid-October, turn brown upon ripening; may take 2y to mature |
| Height | 60-75ft (100) |
| Other valued traits | lumber |
| Spread | 60ft |
| Cultivation |
| Propagation method | Seed, low root sprouts |
| Pruning | resprouts readily after disturbance |
| Seed treatment and storage | cold stratification for 30-45days @ 41?F |
| Seedling treatment | require 30% canopy light penetration to persist |
| Sowing seed | germinate in spring following seed fall; best if seed makes contact with mineral soil and covered by leaf litter |
| Transplant | transplants readily, ball and burlap spring |
| Watering guidelines | moisture generally adequate at time of germination |
| Critters |
| Insect and invertebrate pests | gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), many insect pests |
| Pathogens | oak decline, oak wilt (Ceratocystis fagacearum), many other pathogens that are not threatening |
| Soils |
| Compaction (tolerance) | intolerant |
| Fertility / quality | Low |
| Moisture and drainage | moist, well-drained, moderately drought tolerant |
| pH | 4.3-6.5 |
| Salt tolerance | tolerant |
| Soils and topography | low to mid slopes, north or east aspects; coves, deep ravines, or well-drained valley floors, elevations to 3500ft in middle of range |
| Texture | wide range of parent material; rock fragments; prefers well-drained loam to silty clay loam |
| Growth Pattern |
| Good seed crop interval (fruit load) | 2-5y |
| Growth rate | medium-fast |
| Longevity | long |
| Root habit | deep lateral spreading, root grafts readily |
| Seed-bearing age /max production | 25y /50y |
| Habitat and Climate |
| Fire tolerance | intolerant as sapling, moderately toleranat at maturity |
| Frost-free days (FFD) | 100-220days |
| Hardiness Zone | 3b-7 (8) |
| Native Range | Eastern United States, Northeast to Nova Scotia |
| Rainfall / humidity | wide range, 30-80in |
| Wind / ice / frost susceptibility | infrequent |
| Light |
| Shade tolerance | intermediate, responds well to release |
| Vegetation Associations |
| Competitive ability | once established, dominant or codominant |
| Indicator species and associated forest | pure stands, mixed hardwood |