The Tree and Landscape Board (TLB) has authored several articles about the tree canopy, but have you wondered what trees are in the city’s canopy? To answer this question the TLB will author periodic articles about the native trees in the city.

Oaks are an especially important species in the College Park ecosystem. Acorns from Oaks are high in nutrients that support College Parks mammal and bird species. Approximately every five years is a mast year in which more acorns are produced by Oaks. This is an evolutionary strategy to ensure that not all the acorns will be eaten. Some of the acorns buried in the ground by squirrels will regenerate into new seedlings and later mature Oak trees. Oaks are the host to over five hundred species of moths and insects and are the most important genus in the Mid-Atlantic region for insects and birds. Migrating warblers depend on the caterpillars living on your backyard Oak to survive. The number of birds has decreased significantly during the past decades due to loss of habitat, which includes loss of oaks in the city’s tree canopy.

In the early spring Oaks produce female flowers and male catkins. The pollen from the catkins is blown by the wind onto the female flowers. In addition to the wind, native bees, moths, and butterflies pollinate the flowers. The catkins are a favorite food for squirrels and white-tailed deer in the spring. Nuthatches, turkeys, and chickadees are a few of the bird species that use oak catkins as a source of food.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources site lists twelve species of Oaks native to Maryland. Oaks are divided into two broad categories which are the Red Oaks and White Oaks. To tell the difference look at the leaves. Red Oaks have pointed tips and long spaces in between each of the leaf lobes. White Oaks have rounder leaves and smooth tips. The bark is also different. Red Oaks often have streaks of red in between the bark ridges, while White Oaks have a more platy flat whitish gray bark. The Maryland State tree is the White Oak. The Willow Oaks that line the mall on the University of Maryland campus are in the Red Oak family. Oaks are known for their strong hard wood that is used in construction, cabinetry, and whiskey barrels. White Oaks were prized for use in sailing vessels and wooden boats because the wood is so dense.