The Mighty Oak

How prescient William Davies’ 1913 poem, "The Old Oak Tree," is when we look at the climate of our earth today! William Davies’ poem’s first stanza reads:

I sit beneath your leaves, old oak,

you mighty one of all the trees;

And his last stanza reads:

To lie by day in thy green shade,

and in thy hollow rest at night;

and through the open doorway see

The stars turn over leaves of light.

The “mighty” oak has in fact become one of the biggest heroes of today’s positive climate change strategies. Trees in general help the climate by sequestering carbon, but if you are considering planting a tree or two this coming spring an oak makes a lot of sense. It’s one of the longest lived and largest of our trees with a large number of interesting varieties and it has the biggest impact of all of our trees. Here are a few of the many reasons to plant oaks in New England:

Oak trees sequester significantly more CO2 than any other tree here. We know the more carbon dioxide removed from the air, the healthier our atmosphere becomes.

• Oaks grow into exceptionally large trees and provide safe homes to many birds, places for butterflies and moths to lay their eggs, and help nurture biodiversity.

• An oak can support over 4,000 different species of insects and animals, more than any other tree (www.redding.com/story/life/2020/01/03/plant-oak-2020-make-home-nsects-and-animals/2787701001/)

• Oaks support our environment  by providing a place for insects to lay their eggs on the leaves and bark. According to Doug Tallamy, an entomologist at the University of Delaware, oaks support 534 species of  moths and butterflies, the largest diversity of all trees.

• The NY Times in an article entitled, "Why you should plant Oaks," (March 2021) said it’s estimated that about 897 caterpillar species lay their eggs on oaks.

• The caterpillars found on oak bark, leaves, and in the leaf litter below provide the food
  baby birds need to survive. “Bird parents need  thousands of caterpillars to raise even a single clutch of babies”, wrote Talamy (NYT - Bird Food Grows on Trees, March 23,
  2023 

• Recently a number of articles have recommended raking oak leaves back up under oaks because the litter provides a soft landing where caterpillars drop and a hiding place for caterpillars to grow. 

• Additionally red and white oaks are beneficial for bees because their flowering catkins and bark provide shelters. 

Now I’m hooked on finding a spot where I can grow at least one oak tree. If you are, too, there is lots of fascinating reading to be had. Use your search engine and you might not come up for air for a long time. Your baby oak(s) won’t be an immediate home to 100s of insects but it will be a long term gift for you and your family’s future.