Frequent visitors to the park may be aware of the stately northern red oak tree located just outside the east edge of the Backyard Garden. In fact, it was featured in the blog, From Little Acorns Grow, two years ago. Recently, we were thrilled to have a city arborist establish that this tree is approximately 248 years of age! That means that it sprouted about 1776. At that time, the Revolutionary War was going on. By the mid-1700s, European settlers had begun arriving in this area. So, in 1776, the French and English, as well as Indigenous people, likely the Shawnee, were settled here.

There are about 90 species of oak trees native to the US, and each one has a different lifespan. For example, the white oak tree can live for up to 600 years, while the red oak tree lives for around 400 years at most.

The northern red oak has an extensive range, including most of the eastern United States and southern Canada. In 2004 the oak was designated the National tree of the United States.

Several old trees can be found in Ohio. There is interest in identifying and recording not only old trees, but large trees. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources states that Ohio is currently home to 16 National Champion Big Trees on the Big Trees registry. Ohio also has many old growth forests. One is Johnson Woods State Nature preserve in Marshallville, Ohio which has many trees are more than 400-years-old.

It is possible to estimate the age of a tree, without cutting it down and counting its rings.

  1. Measure the circumference of the tree’s trunk, which can be done using a measuring tape, wrapping it all the way around the trunk at a height of 4 1/2 feet above ground.
  2. Convert the circumference to inches.
  3. Determine the diameter by dividing the circumference by pi (3.14).
  4. Multiply the diameter by the “growth factor”, which is determined according to a tree’s species. Growth factor varies by species, and it is most accurate for trees growing in a woodland environment rather than an urban area. The growth factor for a northern red oak tree is 4.0.
  5. Our oak tree has an official diameter of 62” which when multiplied by 4.0 tells us that this tree is approximately 248 years of age.

If you are interested in determining the age of a favorite tree of yours, you will find the Omni calculator helpful.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if our northern red oak tree could tell us what it has seen?

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