bur oak
Quercus macrocarpa

Bur oak is a very drought-tough tree common to dry uplands, sandy plains, and prairie grasslands. The wood is commercially valuable and acorn production benefits wildlife. Bur oaks are relatively easy to grow and are often used for shade trees, or shelterbelt plantings.

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Light Fall Color. Water
Growth   Size
Timber Value

      Bur oak is used for construction lumber, flooring, beams, mine timbers, railroad ties, planking, furniture, veneer, etc.
Wildlife Value
      Bur oak acorns are consumed by a variety of wildlife species. Deer eat the foliage.
          Attracts: squirrels, mice, cottontails, wood ducks, deer
Regeneration methods
      Bur oak's intermediate shade tolerance and slow growth allow for regeneration by shelterwood and group selection methods.
Fun facts
Bur oak has the largest acorns of all North American oak species. Bur oak has performed admirably well on coal mine spoils in Kansas. It has also displayed excellent tolerance to urban air pollution and was named 2001 Urban Tree of the Year by the magazine City Trees.
Quercus Latin name. macrocarpa Greek "makros" (large) and "karpos" (seed).
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2004 Virginia Tech Forestry Department, all rights reserved. Text, images, and programming by: Dr. Jeff Kirwan, Dr. John R. Seiler, John A. Peterson, Edward C. Jensen, Guy Phillips, or Andrew S. Meeks.

questions, comments, and criticisms: email John.Peterson@vt.edu