WHY OAK IS SO SPECIAL PLANT?

It doesn’t surprise that oaks are one of the most popular trees and they build up many forests around the globe. We all know how oak has a special importance in the urban legends and in the popular story telling. They represent endurance, strength and resistance as well as they are the crucial factors in providing and nurturing the wildlife.

The oaks trees are one of the oldest trees in the world and the funny fact is that they might be here long before humans. That make them not only the most ancient plants but also the one of the tallest, being able to reach up to 40 meters. They are the keystone species in habitats from Mediterranean semi- desert area to the rainforests regions, which means that this genus Quercus has a pretty big specter of existence. Not only that, those good and old trees are capable to prevent erosion damage by consuming lot of rainwater and enabling many other animals to live on it. One scientist, Douglas W. Tallamy even explained that very well in his book The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees : “Oaks support more life-forms than any other North American tree genus, providing food, protection or both for birds to bears, as well as countless insects and spiders, among the enormous diversity of species. Oaks also supply more of what he calls ‘fascinating interactions,’intimate details the book chronicles, month by month. An oak can produce three million acorns in its lifetime — tons of protein, fat and carbohydrates — and a mature tree can drop as many as 700,000 leaves every year. The resulting litter is habitat for beneficial organisms, and the tree’s canopy and root system are important in water infiltration, helping rain percolate instead of running off, and purifying it in the process. Oak trees also sequester carbon.”

As we can see, the multidimensional role of oak in the ecosystem mustn’t be ignored. According to the entomologists, if our garden doesn’t have oak, it is frustrating for wildlife and the nature itself since it is almost like a supermarket for animals of all kinds. They can find all they need just in the oak.

What I also find thrilling is the fact that acorns are not a seed but fruit. One oak can’t produce its fruit before it turns 20 years old and when it is mature, there could be even up to 2,000 acorns per year but only 1 in 10,000 could be a new, powerful tree. Personally, this is so devastating since I found few of them and buried, hoping to see results. It could be one of those, one that could bring me one majestic tree that will support nature and animals. Just one, would be enough for me.

Did you know that all kind of alcoholic drinks is manufactured and stored in oak wood barrels ? This is not the end of its purpose, since oak wood is popular for furniture, music instruments and boats.

Beside its natural attributes, oaks have a royal place in many cultures. We shouldn’t forget that oak is a National tree of America but also of England, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland and Serbia. If we look up the ranks of the United States Armed Forces, we can note that silver oak leaf is for Lieutenant Colonel or a Commander while golden oak leaf indicates the Lieutenant Commander or Major. Not to mention the crucial role in the Greek and Slavic mythology, where the oak tree is linked to the gods sacred trees .

For all coffee lovers, there is holm oak, the one that produces the sweetest acorns, the one that is roasted and used for as coffee substitute. There are some recipes how we can make it alone at home but first, we need to know that not all acorns could be used for it. There are White Oaks and Red Oaks and if you follow animals and their taste, you will go for White Oak since it has a sweeter fruit. Here is the full recipe for anyone who would try him/herself : https://wolfandiron.com/blogs/feedthewolf/how-to-make-acorn-coffee

What I know now is that oak is the friend of animals, the proud protector of ecosystem and it could give us tasty acorn coffee. It could live for ages and still be the silent observer of the human sins or blessings. I choose to believe that one mighty plant will be in my garden soon, for the future generations of children who care about the Nature.