No. Besides, different trees have different habits. I'm not sure about your Chinese cork oak.

Where the heck did you find Quercus variabilis? :) Looking at it, it really wouldn't concern me. Anywho, typically oak wood is pretty resistant to cracking/splitting. If you're concerned, you could at some point trim some outer branches off that big one to reduce weight.

BTW, nice looking bark. Planning on corking some wine bottles?

Ben, Woodlanders has had spurts of offerings of rare oaks from about 2004-2013, but don't seem to have had as many recently. Seemingly had a source for a while, and then didn't. This was bought towards the end of that era.

cf https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5435205/any-research-on-effect-of-trimming-lower-branches-early-on

No need to bump that thread. I think I managed a good balance of leaving some lower branches, and removing others. (as you can see, the trunk had no trouble getting thick!) When I do remove this one, it will be in early winter as that is supposedly a better time for oaks.

Shouldn't be a problem cutting that branch. Again, the bark (and tree) is very handsome. Thanks for the pic of the whole tree in the link -- I don't remember that post.

maybe in snow load areas.. but i suppose your will have many other problems if you get serious snow load in your zone.. lol ...

trees have billions of years.. coping with nature.. except for removing broken or injured limbs.. i kinda defaulted to letting a tree makes its own way in life..

bottom line.. i screwed up more trees trying to outwit ma nature.. and they never grew so they couldnt hold themselves upright...

ken

Nice tree david!

Closely related to the other cork oak Q. suber.

I'm feeling an aura of zone envy this AM. :-)

Any chance of a recent full tree picture?

" Any chance of a recent full tree picture? " I'll see what I can do

The Jameson tree pole is 17' 4" from the very bottom to the very top.

2', 1/4" to 27', 10" in 10 years ain't bad.

Nice oak. The oaks have alot of diversity in appearances. European oaks sometimes get fungal leaf diseases from the more humid east US climates.