WDB-17
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Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
Common Name: Bur Oak
Scientific Name: Quercus macrocarpa
Other Names:
Leaf: Simple, alternate, shape very inconsistent; 10-25cm long; Rounded and wavy lobes, deeply indented in the middle – almost to the midrib; Upper side dark green, glossy, underside grayish green, downy; Turn dull yellow or brown in autumn.
Flower: Males in cluster of slender, dangling, yellowish green catkins of 10-15cm long; Females red, hairy inconspicuous; Male and female on same tree; Flowers before leaves fully formed.
Fruit: Large acorn 2-3cm diameter, more than half is enclosed in deep knobby cup with fringed rim; Edible; begin bearing acorns at age 30-40.
Twig: Thick, yellowish brown, fuzzy; Terminal bud reddish brown; Buds hairy.
Bark: Young bark grayish brown, becoming rough; Mature bark thick, dark gray brown with deep furrows and scaly ridges.
Wood: Hard, heavy, strong, straigh-grained; Heartwood light to medium brown; Annual growth rings distinct.
Facts About this Tree
1. Bur Oak lives 200-300 years and grows 15-25meters high with thick 60-120cm diameter.
2. Bur Oak wood, acorns, bark and leaves are similar to those of white oak and have been used in the same ways.
3. It is fire, draught and air pollution resistant, but its deep taproots make it difficult to transplant.
4. Bur Oak acorns were a natural fall treat to Native children (but not too many – the tannin in the acorns can produce a serious bellyache).
5. Who else eats acorns? black bears, wood ducks, squirrels of all kinds, wild turkeys, prairie chickens, woodpeckers, white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse and raccoons!
Lat, Long: 43.78157, -79.5917
Diameter (DBH): 87.1 cm
Last Year Modified: 2015
Carbon Stored in this Tree: 2075.86 kg of C
Equivalent CO2: 7610.71 kg of C
Reference
1. Blouin, Glen. 2001. An Eclectic Guide to Trees East of the Rockies. Erin, ON. Boston Mills Press
2. Petrides George A. 1998. A Field Guide to Eastern Trees: Eastern United States and Canada, Second Edition. NY. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
3. Linda Kershaw. 2001. Trees of Ontario. Edmonton, AB Canada. Lone Pine Publishing
4. Ministry of Natural Resources. 2013. The Tree Atlas. Retrieved from http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/ClimateChange/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_101493.html
5. Photo Credit: Peter M. Dziuk, Kathryn Chin, USDA Plant Database, Yie Wu Wu
Copyright 2015Association for Canadian Educational Resources
Chinook and Atlantic salmon return to the Humber River each fall (September-October) to spawn. Salmon can be spotted in the Lower Humber and sometimes as far north as Woodbridge Avenue, jumping as high as 5 feet over weirs to find a suitable place to lay their eggs.
