BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Quercus coccinea | Scarlet Oak 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Scarlet oak is a medium-sized, monoecious, native, deciduous tree with
an open, rounded crown [24,43].  At maturity, scarlet oak is usually 60
to 80 feet (18-24 m) tall and 24 to 36 inches (61-91 cm) in d.b.h., but
it can reach a maximum size of 100 feet (30 m) in height and 48 inches
(122 cm) in d.b.h. on good sites.  Seedlings have a strong taproot and
relatively few lateral roots.  Scarlet oak is one of the fastest growing
upland oak species [24] and is short-lived [38].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Sexual:  Seed production begins when the tree is about 20 years old,
with maximum production occurring after 50 years of age.  Seed
production is irregular and unpredictable, but good crops generally
occur every 3 to 5 years [24].  Seeds are disseminated by animals and
gravity.

Germination is hypogeal.  A light covering of forest litter is ideal for
germination [24].  In oak-pine forests in the New Jersey Pine Barrens,
scarlet oak seedlings occurred more frequently in areas with moss-lichen
cover and shallow litter layers than in areas with deep litter.  The
mean litter depth of 1-year-old seedlings was 0.9 inch (2.2 cm) [7].  In
another study, the density of scarlet oak seedlings was negatively
correlated with deep litter coverage on some sites.  However, this
negative correlation may be related to light availability because more
litter accumulated near shrubs [39].

A moderately open overstory canopy provides a favorable environment for
germination [24].  In the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, scarlet oak
seedlings occurred on sites with a higher percent (37.6) of full sun
than did chestnut oak or white oak.  In addition, scarlet oak seedlings
occurred on sites with less competition, determined by distance to
closest neighbor in the ground layer.  However, because acorns have
large energy reserves, 1-year-old seedlings may not be highly site
specific [7].

Vegetative:  If top-killed, scarlet oak sprouts from dormant buds at or
above the root crown.  Nearly 100 percent of stumps smaller than 4
inches (10 cm) in d.b.h. sprout, and about 18 percent of trees 24 inches
(61 cm) in d.b.h. sprout [24].  In a study on the Virginia Piedmont, the
season of harvest did not affect the the sprouting frequency of scarlet
oak stumps [27].

Scarlet oak stumps initially produce large numbers of sprouts [24], but
over time, sprout clumps tend towards the survival of one or two stems.
In one study, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 35 years after cutting, the average
number of sprouts per stump was 9.0, 4.6, 2.7, 1.9, 1.5, and 1.3,
respectively [40].  Between the ages 4 and 8, stem-to-stem competition
within a scarlet oak clump is a more dominating interaction than
competition between clumps [8].

Scarlet oak sprouts grow faster in the first 5 years than the sprouts of
most associated oak species, but height growth falls off rapidly after
20 years [24].  The sprouts concentrate on stem growth during the first
and second growth flushes.  A third flush does not show nearly as much
growth which may be because this species is adapted to xeric sites where
moisture stress limits growth later in the growing season [57].

Juveniles often die back and sprout numerous times, thus becoming
advance regeneration.  Seedling sprouts grow faster than seedlings, with
the sprout growth rate dependent on the thickness of the stem [24].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Scarlet oak, an upland xerophytic species, commonly occurs on ridges and
slopes in hilly to mountainous terrain.  It occurs up to 5,000 feet
(1,520 m) in the southern Appalachian Mountains but is most common below
3,000 feet (910 m) [24].  In the Smoky Mountains, scarlet oak is most
frequent in middle and lower slope positions centered around 2,500 feet
(760 m) in elevation [61].  Scarlet oak will also grow in valley sites
on generally coarser soils than white oak [46].

Scarlet oak grows in a wide variety of soils, but especially in dry
sandy or gravelly soils [20,24].  It is most common on lower quality
sites [56].  In 51 upland hardwood stands on the Virginia Piedmont,
scarlet oak was significantly associated with low soil clay content
(p<0.05), low soil calcium (p<0.01), low soil magnesium (p<0.05), and
low pH (p<0.05) [15].

Common small tree and shrub associates of scarlet oak not mentioned in
Distribution and Occurrence include sassafras (Sassafras albidum),
flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), redbud (Cercis canadensis), sourwood
(Oxydendrum arboreum), sumacs (Rhus spp.), hawthorns (Crataegus spp.),
eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), greenbriers (Smilax spp.),
blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), and huckleberries (Gaylussacia spp.).
Mountain-laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is an associate on very dry sites
[24,56].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

Scarlet oak is intolerant of shade [24].  Seeds can germinate in the
shade, but seedlings do not exhibit long-term survival or growth under a
closed canopy [11].  Scarlet oak is usually found in dominant and
codominant positions, since suppressed individuals eventually die [24].

Scarlet oak tends to be better represented in forests with a history of
disturbance such as fire, logging, grazing, or disease [24,38].  In a
study of long-term forest composition in North Carolina, scarlet oak
regeneration was low for over 30 years, suggesting population
recruitment of this species is episodic and probably dependent on
disturbance.  In the absence of disturbance, codominant scarlet oak
declines in importance in mixed oak stands [47].

Scarlet oak may be climax on dry sites with adequate light because of
its drought tolerance [24].  Little [32] suggests mixed oak forests of
black, white, chestnut, and scarlet oaks may represent a physiographic
climax association on upland sites in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Scarlet oak flowers in April or May, depending on latitude, elevation,
and weather.  Acorns mature in two growing seasons.  They ripen and drop
in the fall and germinate in the spring [24].

Related categories for Species: Quercus coccinea | Scarlet Oak