Life History and Disturbance Response of Quercus rubra northern (red oak)
Family: Fagaceae
Guild: persistent, large-seeded, advance growth dependent
Functional Lifeform: large deciduous tree
Ecological Role: common upland oak found in mixed-species forests on deep, moist, well-drained soils; grows best on lower slopes and in deep ravines;
Lifespan, yrs (typical/max): 200/400
Shade Tolerance: intermediate
Height, m: 20-30
Canopy Tree: yes
Pollination Agent: wind
Seeding, yrs (begins/optimal/declines): 25/50/200
Mast Frequency, yrs: 2-5
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: mineral soil with litter cover
Light: overstory shade
Moisture: moist required
Temperature: neutral
Disturbance response:
Fire: Northern red oak is well-adapted to periodic fire. Without fire, northern red oak is outcompeted by more shade-tolerant species. Thinner-barked than species in the white oak group, it is somewhat susceptible to damage and topkill. Northern red oaks rapidly compartmentalize fire-caused wounds, but decay can be extensive. Larger trees, with thicker bark, are more resistant than smaller trees. Topkilled northern red oak seedlings, saplings, and pole-sized trees sprout vigorously from the root crown or stumps. In the upland forests where northern red oaks grow, fires in the past were mostly low-intensity, dormant-season fires occurring at intervals of years to decades. Acorns present during the fire are usually killed, but large surviving trees are sources of seed, and offsite seeds may be carried by birds and other animals. Fire promotes a mineral seedbed and germination. Prescribed fire has been used successfully to increase advanced regeneration of northern red oak, but multiple fires are necessary to sufficiently reduce competition from other woody and herbaceous plants. Single, low-intensity fires can actually reduce the density of northern red oak.
Air pollution: Northern red oak is tolerant to ozone and sulphur dioxide. A significant decrease in photosynthetic rates of seedlings fumigated with ozone was observed, but there was no observed change in biomass accumulation.
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.