Life History and Disturbance Response of Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Family: Fagaceae
Guild: persistent, large-seeded, advance growth dependent
Functional Lifeform: medium-size deciduous tree
Ecological Role: found on moist uplands and poorly-drained alluvial floodplains; often replaces early bottomland pioneers
Lifespan, yrs (typical/max): 100/150
Shade Tolerance: intermediate/intolerant
Height, m: 18-24
Canopy Tree: yes
Pollination Agent: wind
Seeding, yrs (begins/optimal/declines): 15/40/125
Mast Frequency, yrs: 1-2
New Cohorts Source: seeds or sprouts
Flowering Dates: late spring
Flowers/Cones Damaged by Frost: Information Not Found
Seedfall Begins: early fall
Seed Banking: up to 1 yr
Cold Stratification Required: yes
Seed Type/Dispersal Distance/Agent: nut (acorn)/ to 50 m/ gravity, birds, other animals
Season of Germination: spring
Seedling Rooting System: taproot
Sprouting: seedling and stump sprouts common
Establishment Seedbed Preferences:
Substrate: variable
Light: overstory shade
Moisture: moist required
Temperature: neutral
Disturbance response:
Fire: A bottomland or moist upland species, fire is infrequent in pin oak communities during the growing season when the litter is damp; surface fires may occur in the dormant season, especially during drought years. A thin-barked species, it is susceptible to damage and topkill from even low-intensity surface fires. Seedlings and saplings are most susceptible; larger trees with thicker bark have more resistance. Fire-caused wounds are an entry point for decay organisms. Topkilled trees resprout from adventitious buds in the root collar or from root suckers. Fire is not a recommended management tool in the bottomland communities where pin oaks grow.
Weather: Pin oak is very tolerant of dormant-season flooding, but only moderately tolerant of growing-season flooding.
Air pollution: Pin oak is tolerant to sulphur dioxide, but intermediate to sensitive to ozone. No symptoms of foliar injury noted in areas of high ambient ozone.
Exotics: Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is a defoliator of eastern hardwood forests, introduced to Massachusetts from France in 1885. It has spread throughout New England into Virginia and Michigan. Defoliation causes growth loss, decline, and mortality. It feeds on many tree species, but Quercus and Populus are the most susceptible taxa, and trees growing on xeric sites are the most vulnerable. Various efforts have been made to control it, with mixed results. A fungus, Entomophaga maimaiga introduced from Japan causes considerable mortality to gypsy moth populations. E. maimaiga levels are promoted by damp weather.