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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



The Bur Oak is one of the largest 

 of the American oaks. It is usually 

 from 70 to 80 feet high, but a few 

 specimens have been reported that 

 reached 170 feet in height and 6 to 7 

 feet in diameter. It usually occurs in 

 low, rich bottom lands from Nova 



tanning purposes. Lcfcally it is also 

 called Mountain Oak, because it is 

 usually found on mountain sides and 

 hilltops. 



The Chestnut Oak may be distin- 

 guished at any season of the year by 

 its bark. On young stems it is smooth, 

 thin and yellowish-brown. On old 

 trunks it is thick, brown to black and 

 very deeply furrowed. The bark 

 ridges are solid, not scaly, and are 

 separated by deep and sharp-angled 

 furrows. The bottom of the furrows 

 is often cinnamon red in color, which 

 enables one to distinguish it from any 

 other oak. In winter the Chestnut 



THE SHARP-POINTED LEAVES AND THE 

 SMALL STALKLESS ACORNS ARE HELPFUL 

 IN RECOGNIZING THE YELLOW OAK. 



Scotia to Manitoba, south to Penn- 

 sylvania, Kansas and Texas. This 

 tree has not only a wide distribution 

 and attains a large size, but it also 

 produces very valuable wood, and is 

 planted rather extensively for orna- 

 mental and shade purposes. It is easy 

 to transplant, grows fast, develops an 

 attractive form, has few insect ene- 

 mies, and withstands smoke better 

 than most of the oaks. 



The Chestnut Oak or Rock Oak is 

 an important member of the White 

 Oak group. The name Chestnut Oak 

 was given to this tree because its 

 leaves resemble those of the common 

 chestnut, which enables one to recog- 

 nize it with little difficulty. This tree 

 is also called Rock Oak. This name 

 refers to the hardness of the wood, 

 and is confined to this tree alone for 

 the adjective "rock" is a part of the 

 common names of a number of trees 

 that produce hard wood. Sometimes 

 the adjective "iron" is substituted for 

 "rock" as in the case of Ironwood. 

 The name Tanbark Oak is also locally 

 applied to this tree because its bark 

 is harvested in large quantities for 



THE BARK OF THE CHESTNUT OR ROCK 

 OAK IS DEEPLY FURROWED. 



Oak can be distinguished by its slen- 

 der, angular, orange-brown twigs and 

 by its sharp-pointed buds about one- 

 fourth to one-half inch long, which 

 are clustered at the ends of the twigs. 



The Chestnut Oak occurs on dry 

 hillsides and moist fertile foot hills 

 from Maine to Ontario and south to 

 Alabama and Tennessee. It is an im- 

 portant forest tree, for it grows rap- 

 idly, produces valuable wood, and 

 yields bark which is rich in tannin. 

 It usually grows to a height of 60 to 

 70 feet and sometimes reaches 100 

 feet with a diameter of 2 to 5 feet. 

 This tree is a big factor in replacing 

 the chestnut that has been killed on so 

 large a scale by the blight. The kill- 

 ing of the chestnut left large vacan- 



cies which have since been filled up 

 by thrifty clumps of rock oak. Given 

 a chance, the Rock Oak will grow 

 rapidly and produce valuable wood. 

 As soon as the real merits of this tree 

 become known it will be given a 

 prominent place in the forest practice 

 of the eastern states. 



An oak closely related to the Chest- 

 nut Oak is the Yellow Oak. It is 

 also called Chinquapin Oak, Scrub 

 Oak, Dwarf Chestnut Oak, and Pin 

 Oak. It should not be confused with 

 the true Chestnut Oak, for it has dis- 

 tinctive features, grows on different 

 soil, and is of less commercial im- 

 portance. It can be distinguished 

 from the true Chestnut Oak by its 

 small acorns, which are usually ses- 

 sile. The buds are smaller and the 

 leaves more sharp-pointed than those 

 of the true Chestnut Oak. The flaky 

 gray bark is also distinctive. The 

 Yellow Oak occurs commonly on lime- 

 stone soil, but is often found on dry 

 ridges from Vermont to Minnesota 

 and south to Florida and Texas. It 

 is a beautiful tree and should be 

 planted extensively in parks and 



THE SWAMP WHITE OAK CAN ALWAYS BE 

 RECOGNIZED BY ITS LONG-STALKED 

 ACORNS, AND ITS LARGE, SHALLOW- 

 LOBED LEAVES. 



lawns on account of its handsome 

 form and attractive foliage. 



Of the more than 55 oaks found 

 in the United States, 14 inhabit the 

 Pacific Coast region. Some of them are 



