Why We Should Appreciate the Oak Trees in Rand Park

Oak tree (Quercus alba) in the amphitheater in Rand Park

While the acorns that fall on your head as you walk through Rand Park on fall mornings might be annoying, we should be grateful for the trees that they come from. The oak tree has won the prestigious title of being America’s National Tree, and not without good reason.With a rich history and sturdy wood, the oak stands tall among us, silent and humble yet vitally important. Oak trees have been our steady companion ever since the indigenous people of North America used its leaves, flowers, and bark for medicinal purposes, and its tannins for dying and tanning hides. Eventually, though, Europeans arrived, yet the oak tree is so versatile that it benefited them as well. They used it for building furniture and houses; oak wood is especially useful for this because of the uneven vessel growth that adds to its structural integrity. Not only is it strong, but it is also impressively good at burning, which is actually great for people who want fuel, and oak wood has often been used to make charcoal. Even today, the oak tree is standing by our side and making our environment a better place to live. It’s deep and extensive root system stabilizes slopes and limits erosion. This tree can also trap airborne particles to reduce air pollution, and capture noise and moderate temperature in urban areas. Clearly, the oak tree is an extraordinarily important part of our past, present, and, most likely, future.


Other than directly benefiting humans, there are certain aspects of the oak tree that are worth mentioning. In North America, the most common type of oak is the white oak, a tree with smooth, rounded leaves and rough bark, varying in colors from brown to light gray. Oaks are also characterized by their wind-pollinated flowers and fruits (acorns). Male flowers in oak trees gather a lot of pollen for wind-pollination, while female flowers wait a little longer to mature to avoid self-pollination. These trees also produce acorns, which are a valuable resource, as it provides food and shelter to many different species, such as birds, squirrels, bats, etc. Acorn production is so important to biodiversity that crop failure can lead to the extinction of certain species.

The Seven Sisters Oak is the largest Southern live oak in the country, estimated to be 1,500 years. Image from Wikipedia

We should feel lucky to have a tree as active and valuable, as beneficial to the environment, as the oaks in Rand Park.