VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Quercus rubra | Northern Red Oak 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Northern red oak is an important source of hardwood lumber [20,73].  Its
wood is heavy, hard, strong, coarse-grained, and at least moderately
durable [87].  When properly dried and treated, oak wood glues well,
machines very well, and accepts a variety of finishes [79].  The wood of
northern red oak has been used to make railroad ties, fenceposts,
veneer, furniture, cabinets, paneling, flooring, caskets, and pulpwood
[76,87].  Northern red oak has a high fuel value and is an excellent
firewood [76].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Browse:  White-tailed deer commonly browse leaves and young seedlings
[81,119].  Telfer [116] reported that deer browsed only 2.8 percent of
northern red oak in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.  However, in feeding
trials in New Hampshire, northern red oak leaves comprised 15 to 30
percent dry matter of deer diets [90].  Elk, hares, cottontail rabbits,
and moose also feed on northern red oak browse [116,119].  Pocket
gophers occasionally feed on the roots of seedlings [49].

Acorns:  Mammals - The white-footed mouse, eastern chipmunk, fox
squirrel, gray squirrel, red squirrel, white-tailed deer, flying
squirrels, and deer mice consume northern red oak acorns [15,111,119].
In a New Hampshire feeding trial, northern red oak acorns made up 5 to
55 percent (composition dry matter) of deer diets [90].  Acorns of the
northern red oak are a preferred fall and winter food of the gray
squirrel [40,65].  Domestic hogs also eat large quantities of northern
red oak acorns where available [119].  Acorns are an important fall food
source for the black bear [31,97].  The abundance of fall mast crops can
affect black bear reproductive success during the following year [31].

Birds - Acorns of the northern red oak are an important food source the
bobwhite, red-headed woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, blue jay,
tufted titmouse, grackle, white-breasted nuthatch, sapsuckers, quail,
ruffed grouse, and other birds [111,119].  They represent a particularly
important food source for the wild turkey.  A single turkey can consume
more than 221 acorns at a "single meal" [95].  Other birds that feed on
acorns include the ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, ring-necked
pheasant, wild turkey, eastern crow, northern flicker, grackle, blue
jay, brown thrasher, tufted titmouse, starling, lesser prairie chicken,
chickadees, nuthatches, and other songbirds.  Acorns are also important
food sources for various waterfowl such as the golden-eye, gadwall, wood
duck, hooded merganser, mallard, American pintail, black duck, redhead,
and green-winged teal [74,119].  Sprouted acorns are readily eaten by
deer, mice, and the northern bobwhite [119].


PALATABILITY : 
Browse:  The palatability of oak browse is reported to be relatively
high for domestic livestock and for many wildlife species.  Eastern oaks
are preferred by white-tailed deer in some locations [119].  New growth
is particularly palatable to deer and rabbits [43].

Acorns:  Acorns of the northern red oak are highly palatable to many
birds and mammals.  Northern red oak acorns appear to be less palatable
to the white-footed mouse than are white oak acorns [15].  Studies
indicate that relatively high tannin levels may impart a bitter taste
and decrease palatability as compared with acorns from other species of
oak [108,127].  However, gray squirrels prefer northern red oak acorns
to the acorns of other oaks [65].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Browse:  Dry, fallen leaves are relatively high in protein but low in
digestibility for deer [44].  The nutrient content of northern red oak
browse has been reported as follows [90]:

                     Crude       Ether       Crude       N-free
   Dry matter %      protein %   extract %   fiber %     extract %
   ---------------------------------------------------------------
   33.3              13.27       2.15        23.88       55.37

Acorns:  Northern red oak acorns are relatively low in protein,
phosphorous and crude fiber but are a good source of metabolizable
energy, starches, sugars, and fat [90,95,107,126].  One pound of
northern red oak acorns contains approximately 1,300 calories [95].
Crude available protein of northern red oak acorns has been estimated at
4.6 to 5.92 percent [65].  Smith and Follmer [109] reported that
northern red oak acorns exhibit relatively high tannin levels (6
percent).  Other studies have reported tannin levels ranging from 4.34
to 15.90 percent [15,126,127].


COVER VALUE : 
Northern red oak provides good cover for a wide variety of birds and
mammals.  Young oaks with low branches serve as particularly good winter
cover.  Oak leaves often persist longer than those of many of its plant
associates and in some areas, young oaks may represent the only brushy
winter cover in dense pole stands [105].  Oaks frequently serve as
perching or nesting sites for various songbirds [19].  Many cavity
nesters, such as the red-bellied and hairy woodpecker, utilize northern
red oak [133].  The well-developed crowns of oaks provide shelter and
hiding cover for tree squirrels and other small mammals.  Many birds and
mammals use twigs and leaves as nesting materials [74].  Large oaks
provide denning sites for a variety of mammals [19].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Northern red oak is well adapted to some types of moderately
unproductive environments, including certain acidic sites [16,60], and
can be used in various rehabilitation projects.  Northern red oak has
been successfully planted onto coal mine spoils in Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania [4,16,66,89,123].

Plants can be propagated by several methods, including (1) transplanting
bareroot stock, (2) planting acorns in tubes, and (3) direct seeding.
Best survival of bareroot stock has been reported after spring planting
(90 percent survival compared to 50 percent survival after fall
planting) [115].  Direct seeding is the fastest and cheapest propagation
method and can be effective if few seed predators are present [114,115].
Cuttings obtained from young trees often root if properly treated with
hormones [28].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
The acorns of many species of oak (Quercus spp.) were traditionally an
important food source for Native American peoples [118].  Acorns of red
oak were leached with ashes to remove bitter tannins and then used in
various foods by many Native American peoples.  Preparations made from
the bark were used to treat bowel problems [38].

Northern red oak was first cultivated in 1724 [84] and is a popular
ornamental shade tree in eastern North America and in parts of Europe
[47,101].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Silviculture:  Northern red oak often regenerates poorly after timber
harvest.  According to Loftis [70], "the preparatory and seed cuts of
the classical shelterwood will not be a part of the shelterwood sequence
to regenerate oaks, but rather, the cuttings applied in a shelterwood to
regenerate northern red oak should be considered removal cuts to exploit
the presence of small advanced oak reproduction, enhancing the
development of and finally, releasing advanced reproduction that is
already established."  The presence of vigorous advanced regeneration is
essential for producing good stands of northern red oak after timber
harvest [5,21,85].  For adequate regeneration of oaks, advanced
regeneration of at least 4.5 feet (1.4 m) in height should number at
least 435 stems per acre (217/ha) prior to harvest [100].  However,
Kittridge and Aston [57] reported that as few as 60 stems per acre
(24/ha) may be sufficient for oak regeneration in some areas.

A series of selection cuts can produce stands with several age classes
and can generate sufficient advanced regeneration for well-stocked,
postharvest stands [7].  Initial cuts should reduce overstory densities
to no less than 60 percent stocking [100].  Reduction of competing
understory species may also be necessary in some instances [7,100].
Prescriptions for regenerating northern red oak should include the
following:  (1) control competing vegetation, (2) reduce overstory
density, (3) ensure adequate propagules, (4) manage for seedling
sprouts, and (5) remove overstory after seedling establishment [25].

Chemical control:  Oaks often produce basal sprouts in response to
herbicide treatments [36].  However, injections of glyphosate can kill
plants [128].

Mechanical treatments:  Trees which have been cut often develop multiple
trunks [10].  Approximately 9.9 sprouts per stump were reported 5 years
after trees were cut in Pennsylvania.  Average sprout numbers declined
to 1.1 per acre 35 years after cutting [75].  Sprouts derived from cut
stumps are often more vigorous than those which have developed as a
result of fire or herbivory [115].

Insects/disease:  Northern red oak is susceptible to several diseases
including oak wilt and oak decline [76].  Oak decline is particularly
serious and has affected northern red oak throughout much of the central
Appalachian region [80].  The gypsy moth and numerous other insects can
attack northern red oak, occasionally causing serious damage [41,101].

Damage:  Northern red oak is resistant to windthrow [87].

Environmental considerations:  Northern red oak is resistant to ozone
damage [48].

Wildlife considerations:  Increases in bear damage to crops, livestock,
and beehives has been noted in years of poor acorn crops [97].  Acorn
production for wildlife can be increased by selective thinning and by
protecting large oaks [90].

Related categories for Species: Quercus rubra | Northern Red Oak