Update on the Quercus suber at Parque Anchorena (and Others)

After writing the article on the cork oak in Parque Anchorena, Uruguay, I returned in November 2013 to revisit the tree in full foliage. It certainly made a more impressive sight than in winter, particularly as the neighboring Liquidambar was also in leaf and thus filling the gap it leaves when its branches are bare. But there were worrying indications to suggest that the oak is past its prime: ends of some branches were not sprouting and epicormic shoots could be seen within the canopy. If one compares the photo of the tree taken in 2003, i.e. ten years earlier, it is evident that now there are gaps in the canopy that was a solid, impenetrable green a decade before. Could this be a natural development as the canopy widens (I’d noted an increase of about 25 % in crown spread) or is there reason for concern. It has been noted that oaks and other northern hemisphere trees grow at a significantly faster rate in benign southern hemisphere climates, but does this also mean that there lifespan will be much shorter, and that we should apply a severe haircut to the old adage of 300 years to grow, 300 years to live and 300 years to die?

In the meantime it is still a remarkable specimen. When preparing a version of the article for publication in the International Dendrology Society Yearbook, I researched other Southern Hemisphere champion cork oaks to see how the Uruguayan tree compared. The dimensions I recorded in July 2013 were: girth 5.6 m, height 23.2 m, crown spread 38.2 m (SE-NW) and 36 m (E-W). The champion cork oak in Australia’s National Register of Big Trees is 22.5 m high and has a circumference of 4.9 m and a crown of 22 m, in all aspects inferior to the Anchorena tree. According to the formula used by American Forests, the Australian tree scores 285 points, while the Uruguayan one scores 327. 

A larger cork oak is to be found in New Zealand, in Te Awamutu Cemetery in Waikato:  379 points made up by a 6.9 m circumference, 26 m height and 26.3 m crown spread. While this tree surpasses the Anchorena oak in girth and height, its crown is considerably smaller. In the United Kingdom, The Tree Register has a cork oak in Tregrehan, Cornwall that stands 22 m high, and one in Standish Hospital, Gloucestershire with a circumference of 5.6 m, each respectively Britain & Ireland champions for height and girth and on a par with the Uruguayan tree. The Tree Register does not include crown spreads, so a complete comparison is not possible. (The article published in the IDS Yearbook can be viewed here.)

Below I post photos of some other notable cork oaks I found in Uruguay: a stand of Quercus suber growing in the President’s city residence, Residencia Suárez. It is right next to the Jardín Botánico de Montevideo, and the wall the separates the residence from the city’s botanical gardens seems to cut through the design of the latter’s plantation. One assumes that the cork oaks were originally intended to be part of the Jardín Botánico. They are estimated to be of a similar age to the one in Parque Anchorena, i.e. a little over a century old, but it is interesting to see how, due to the different conditions in which they grew, in this case with much less elbow room, the trees have developed in ways quite different to the Parque Anchorena tree, despite enjoying similar climate.