how old is it?

Hi! It is only a year or two old.

I wish you could post a photo in the comments.

I've had young trees come back from the roots but they were older. I don't feel confident that yours will.

Thanks, that is what I thought but I just wanted another opinion. Thank you for your comments!

Baby trees are programmed to come back from the roots if eaten. That's why they have to be pulled out and not just cut.

Thank you!!!!!

Hi Kimi! Thank you for your comment. I am very hopeful that it will come back. I too am in the Arizona desert, but it was doing great until a little chipmunk took a couple of bites out of him. I have him in a greenhouse and have a cage over him (that my husband made for me). He is also protected by the winds. Thanks again!!

Hello Al!! i wanted to share a photo of my little tree that came back after being chewed down by a chipmunk! It is doing so well. My husband made a cage for it sso it ddoesn’t happen again! Thank you!!!!

I'm curious about the rationale for keeping a hardy tree in a greenhouse in the desert. Does the house provide shade?

An oak seedling that has aspirations to be a large tree isn't going to do well in a pot for long, unless one plans to perform bonsai techniques.

I was going to plant it in the ground until it got chewed. now that it has come back, I will be planting it in the spring. That is the rationale

Glad to hear your little oak has recovered.

It's only beginning its dangerous journey in the outdoors and there'll be many more attacks on it in the future.

Voles, gophers, mice, squirrels, deer and other varmints love tender young shoots as they begin to grow.

A little protection for a tiny tree can prevent many setbacks during its early life.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the saying goes.

Ostrya virginiana from seed Aug. 2019.

Same tree Aug. 2024. 12 ft. tall.

I still surround this tree with a piece of chicken wire to prevent those marauding whitetail deer bucks from polishing their antlers on the 1-1/2" diameter trunk (~their favorite size tree) and possibly killing the tree or setting it back, I think which starts right around this time of year.

Keeping it inside over winter is not a good idea. It is a totally hardy tree and needs to be cold and dormant in winter. Just provide protection from predators.

The OP, Newtster, hasn't said where in AZ he/she is located or what his/her USDA hardiness zone is.

We don't even know what type of oak it is or if it will grow in the area where he/she is living.

More information would help!

I have several bur oak seedlings i got from the conservation department. i planted them in pots and they survived. should i repot them in bigger pots now or wait until next spring? i want grow then until i can begin to plant them permanently.