Quercus imbricaria #7 (Shingle Oak)

Shingle Oak is a handsome, rugged, medium-sized native shade tree that can grow on a wide variety of sites. It is not shade or salt tolerant, but it can adapt to dry, rocky soils on the alkaline side. It attains the best growth on deep, rich, moist but well-drained and slightly acidic conditions. The growth rate is slow to medium, about 12-18″ per year for the first 10 or 20 years. Its full size in the landscape is about 60′ tall and wide, though it can grow larger in ideal conditions. The overall growth habit is usually pyramidal or conical with a dense canopy, making it a lovely shade tree for residential lawns and parks. The leaves are narrow, oblong and not lobed like other oaks. They are dark, glossy green during the growing season turning to bronze in fall. They are reluctantly deciduous, persisting on the tree through winter to provide shelter for wildlife and screening in the landscape.

Species in the Red Oak group, such as Shingle Oak, are unfortunately susceptible to Oak Wilt disease which is a fungal pathogen that is spread by bark beetles. Trees in the Red Oak group should not be pruned or otherwise wounded between April and October, and only clean, sterilized tools should be used. By spreading awareness, taking appropriate measures, and planting for succession, we can help to preserve these incredibly important trees.

Oaks are an ecological keystone genus which is invaluable to the food web and life cycles of insects, birds and other wild creatures. They are host to some 436 species of Lepidoptera, at the very top of the list for our ecoregion. Innumerable bird species rely on Oaks for their bounty of caterpillars and other insects, making them living birdfeeders. Oaks also provide cover, cavities for dens,  roosts, and nesting sites. The acorns are a necessary food supply for birds and mammals alike. Deer and rabbits do tend to browse or strip the bark of young oaks, so protection (especially through winter) is highly advised.

Sources:
Native Trees, Shrubs, & Vines by William Cullina
Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr
Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees by Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz
Missouri Botanical Garden
Illinois Wildflowers

Photo Credits:
Mature Fall: Kentucky Kevin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Leaf Detail: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons