Tree Talk: Chestnut Oak

New year, new oak!! This Tree Talk highlights Quercus montana, chestnut oak. It is also called rock oak because of its typical ridgetop habitat. You may have learned it as Quercus prinus, but that name which Linnaeus gave the species hundreds of years ago may have been given to swamp chestnut oak instead; the correct identity of the type specimen is up for debate. So we typically now use Q. montana for chestnut oak and Q. michauxii for swamp chestnut oak.

Name confusion aside, chestnut oak is a wonderful species that plays an important role in the canopy of ridgetop forests, where most other species cannot thrive in the thin, rocky soils. It is relished by wildlife and foresters alike, but like many other oaks, chestnut oak regeneration is scarce in forests that have been managed poorly and/or have overabundances of deer.

Recorded on 1/2/22 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Allyson "Rocky" Davis.

[chesterthawkins]

Thanks for this video. I have a chestnut oak which I got as a seedling two years ago. I have been amazed at how well it is growing. They are beautiful trees.

[michaeldinkins]

I have some in south east Georgia in the flat woods along Spanish Creek

[stevemurray]

I have add this species to my botanical garden. Love them and looking forward to their increasingly size. Thank you for your work and videos. Much appreciated.

[markjones]

Another great video! Thank you. Haven't been able to get to the woods for the last year as I damaged my leg, so good to see some tree action on these videos. Keep 'em coming :)

[GoneCarnivore]

I plan to try to grow these in central Louisiana. It not rocky but worth a try.

[MoldyStir-Fry]

I have been looking for an actually good thorough description with visuals of this tree for a while, thank you! I've had some issues identifying some of the trees that we cut for firewood this year because it seems like rock oak wood looks very inconsistent from tree to tree, but the bark and leaves from when they were still living confirms their species.

[jessicagothie]

These are really nice. I live in the ridge-n-valley section of PA, so these trees are really in my wheelhouse. (Fulton County, represent!) I can do *most* of our trees including understory stuff like spicebush and american hornbeam and such, but there's always more to learn. I like sycamore (they are so fancy!) and the shrubby sort-of-a-tree winterberry holly.

[drchrisgreene]

Another great video! Thank you . This helps so much!! Keep up the good work! I hope to see the channel grow!! (:

[EmeraldForester]

Lots of em in Twin Falls State Park, W. Va.

[AdaptiveApeHybrid]

Thank you for posting! I love learning about the native trees and plants of the north east so much. You're very concise too which is my favorite kinda delivery for this stuff.

Y'all got Hawthorne down there? I'm in western NY and we got what I believe to be Canadian Hawthorne everywhere. Very interesting tree/shrub imo. Not gonna twist your tit or anything but I'd love to see a video on that stuff. Also, I looked through your videos and I didn't see any hickory videos! I believe you guys got pignut and shagbark where you are, no? I'd love to see some stuff on those too. Also black locust!

Not trying to be demanding, I just like your content and I want more lol

[kevinrose]

Bark is hard and gritty and can cut and scratch anything that rubs against it

[williamcmaylo]

I recently cut down a chestnut oak in order to make room for our grandchildren's clubhouse. I'd like to have the chestnut oak sawn into boards.

[BuddhiYoga]

Thanks, Ryan. Do you think white oaks, since they do so well in rocky soil, incorporates the silicates and other minerals and so are crystalline? They must act like antennas more than other trees. My land has endless white quartz everywhere among mostly white oaks. I feel it has a more special energy than other places.

[michaelbayerl]

Any idea what's been killing of the chestnut oaks in the mid-Atlantic over the last 5-10 yrs? I live in central PA on a forested lot with rocky, dry soil, so there plenty of chestnut oaks and easily more than half have died and are continuing to die. I have managed to harvest some awesome lumber and firewood, but I'd really like to know what's been happening. I know this has been happening all over PA, MD, WV, DE, VA, and MD.