This hardwood tree is a member of the white oak family and gets its name from the cap that covers its acorns. This deciduous tree grows to twenty-five meters when fully mature. It prefers a habitat of both dry uplands and moist bottom lands. It grows from the gulf coast of Texas to southern Canada and Maine. The large acorns are an important food source for wildlife like deer, squirrels, wild turkey, and ground squirrels. This tree can produce acorns up to an age of 400 years with a large crop produced every three years. Smaller crops are produced during the intervening years. The acorns are disseminated by squirrels, gravity, and to some extent by water. In some areas bur oak is a pioneer species that is later succeeded by other faster growing species of oak and maple. It is also used to produce barrels, furniture, paneling, and construction.
References
http://www.kansasforests.org/conservation/deciduous/buroak.shtml
No comments:
Post a Comment