What kind of red oak might this be?

last year

Hello,

I recently posed a question here about whether to save a skinny double-trunked tulip poplar tree or the skinny oak beside it. The oak is very bent, and would need straightening if that’s even possible. They’re about 5 feet apart in the front yard of my home under construction. I still welcome any advice on that question and I just added a new picture to that other post if anyone wants to revisit it.

I would love to get a positive ID on the oak. It’s in the red oak family but that’s all I can figure out. The leaves are 30 feet up so I can’t get a better picture with my phone.

It’s important to know whether it’s a scarlet, black, shumard, or something else so I can research their characteristics.

If it were a white oak I’d save it without question, but I know red oaks can have more problems.

Please see the attached photos of the canopy and the tree trunk.

Also, there is some branch dieback at the top, but I don’t know if I should be worried about that. No wilted leaves or weird discoloration. The tree looks healthy otherwise but I know red oaks are more susceptible to sudden oak death and other problems. That’s a major part of the decision.

Thanks for all your help, fellow tree nerds!

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Comments (5)

Sigrid
last year
That oak is not going to straighten. You are not going to be able to straighten it. It has too much wood built up in the trunk. Oak is a strong wood.
bengz6westmd
last year
Very hard to tell, but my best guess from the available evidence shown here is black oak (looks like there's "shininess" on the leaves).
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BillMN-z4a
last year
Yes, you won't straighten it, but I've seen trees like yours that once are exposed to sunlight once surrounding trees are cut, they will branch out to fill the voids around them. It will take several years but it might surprise you how nice of a tree that oak, which btw is a member of the red oak family, will one day become.

The twin tulip poplar next to it has included bark between them where they appear to be growing together. I've seen large Ash trees break right at that point during a strong storm, because the two trees really aren't held together by each other.

imho: It's a weak point.
indianagardengirl
last year

I don’t have an opinion on which tree you should keep. But I would encourage you not to fixate on a crooked trunk. This is one of my favorite trees, which was duking it out with a bunch of mature ash trees before emerald ash borer arrived. I think it’s got great character.
FrozeBudd_z3/4
last year
Indianagardengirl, love that tree, it's as if it's almost calling out, "Come dance with me!"