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A Monument to Monumental Oaks

By Website Editor | April 7, 2018

Rainer Lippert has always been interested in old trees. At the age of 16 he started to visit the largest trees in his home district in Germany, drawn in particular to the majestic grandeur of ancient oaks. He recorded their dimensions, categorizing the giants according to the girth of their trunks. As he grew older, his range of action became wider, expanding from rural district to administrative region, then his entire native Bundesland (as German states are called), and ultimately all of Germany.

The Barva Oak

By Francisco Garin... | February 16, 2018
Quercus sp. Volcán Barva

Since 2012 I have traveled to Costa Rica four times, searching for acorns of some Quercus species that were not represented in the collection at Iturraran Botanical Garden. 

OACN 2017 Year in Review

By Audrey Denvir | February 16, 2018

The Oaks of the Americas Conservation Network (OACN) is an interdisciplinary consortium of oak experts from universities, botanic gardens, arboreta, conservation NGOs, and industry and government agencies aiming to address the research and conservation needs for oaks in the Western Hemisphere. In the short time since its founding in 2016, OACN has been able to make important progress on a number of projects and initiatives focused on oaks in the Americas. Here is a review of some of the work OACN has completed in 2017:

American Oaks Share a Common Northern Ancestor

By Website Editor | October 12, 2017

North American oaks have a northern temperate origin and only later colonized Mexico and Central America, according to a new study. 

Workshop on Taxonomy of Rare Mexican Oaks Held in Puebla

By Audrey Denvir | October 8, 2017
group_photo_original.jpg

The Morton Arboretum and the Botanic Garden at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla hosted a Rare Mexican Oak Taxonomy Workshop, which brought together key stakeholders and experts on Mexican oaks to discuss taxonomy and conservation.

Red List of US Oaks Published by The Morton Arboretum

By Diana Jerome | October 3, 2017
US Red List Oaks

One-fourth of the United States’ oak species are now considered of conservation concern, according to data compiled by researchers at The Morton Arboretum for the latest update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species™. Sixteen species of oaks, all in the southern and western U.S., are now classified as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with another four species deemed Near Threatened. 

First Time Ex-Situ Reproduction of Quercus insignis

By Roderick Cameron | August 19, 2017
Quercus insignis seedling

An acorn from a specimen of Quercus insignis growing in Hackfalls Arboretum in New Zealand germinated earlier this year.

New Gap Analyses of Ex-Situ Collections and In-Situ Conservation Needs for US Oak Species

By ebeckman | February 22, 2017
Quercus havardii

We are currently requesting accessions data, including provenance information, from all gardens that maintain oak species. 

A Neophyte Revisits the Florida Oaks

By Dirk Giseburt | February 17, 2017
Florida oaks

In January 2011, I made a quick visit to several natural areas in Palm Beach County, Florida while on a business trip and had my first experience with the varied oak habitats of the South Florida coast. In January 2017, I had the chance to relive the experience and revisit three of those spots – the High Ridge Scrub, Juno Dunes, and Frenchman’s Forest Natural Areas.

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Editor's Picks

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Michel Duhart and Paco Garin at Jardín Botánico Wilson, Costa Rica
In Memoriam: Michel Duhart (1923–2026)
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Plant Focus

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Roderick Cameron and Carlos Vila-Viçosa give an account of this intriguing species from northwestern Iberia with a complex taxonomic and...
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Dendrology

A Monument to Monumental Oaks

By Website Editor | April 7, 2018

Rainer Lippert has always been interested in old trees. At the age of 16 he started to visit the largest trees in his home district in Germany, drawn in particular to the majestic grandeur of ancient oaks. He recorded their dimensions, categorizing the giants according to the girth of their trunks. As he grew older, his range of action became wider, expanding from rural district to administrative region, then his entire native Bundesland (as German states are called), and ultimately all of Germany.

The Barva Oak

By Francisco Garin... | February 16, 2018
Quercus sp. Volcán Barva

Since 2012 I have traveled to Costa Rica four times, searching for acorns of some Quercus species that were not represented in the collection at Iturraran Botanical Garden. 

OACN 2017 Year in Review

By Audrey Denvir | February 16, 2018

The Oaks of the Americas Conservation Network (OACN) is an interdisciplinary consortium of oak experts from universities, botanic gardens, arboreta, conservation NGOs, and industry and government agencies aiming to address the research and conservation needs for oaks in the Western Hemisphere. In the short time since its founding in 2016, OACN has been able to make important progress on a number of projects and initiatives focused on oaks in the Americas. Here is a review of some of the work OACN has completed in 2017:

American Oaks Share a Common Northern Ancestor

By Website Editor | October 12, 2017

North American oaks have a northern temperate origin and only later colonized Mexico and Central America, according to a new study. 

Workshop on Taxonomy of Rare Mexican Oaks Held in Puebla

By Audrey Denvir | October 8, 2017
group_photo_original.jpg

The Morton Arboretum and the Botanic Garden at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla hosted a Rare Mexican Oak Taxonomy Workshop, which brought together key stakeholders and experts on Mexican oaks to discuss taxonomy and conservation.

Red List of US Oaks Published by The Morton Arboretum

By Diana Jerome | October 3, 2017
US Red List Oaks

One-fourth of the United States’ oak species are now considered of conservation concern, according to data compiled by researchers at The Morton Arboretum for the latest update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species™. Sixteen species of oaks, all in the southern and western U.S., are now classified as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with another four species deemed Near Threatened. 

First Time Ex-Situ Reproduction of Quercus insignis

By Roderick Cameron | August 19, 2017
Quercus insignis seedling

An acorn from a specimen of Quercus insignis growing in Hackfalls Arboretum in New Zealand germinated earlier this year.

New Gap Analyses of Ex-Situ Collections and In-Situ Conservation Needs for US Oak Species

By ebeckman | February 22, 2017
Quercus havardii

We are currently requesting accessions data, including provenance information, from all gardens that maintain oak species. 

A Neophyte Revisits the Florida Oaks

By Dirk Giseburt | February 17, 2017
Florida oaks

In January 2011, I made a quick visit to several natural areas in Palm Beach County, Florida while on a business trip and had my first experience with the varied oak habitats of the South Florida coast. In January 2017, I had the chance to relive the experience and revisit three of those spots – the High Ridge Scrub, Juno Dunes, and Frenchman’s Forest Natural Areas.

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The International Oak Society acknowledges the generous support of the following institutions:

Supporting Institutional Members

Denver BG Logo
The Morton Arboretum logo
San Antonio Botanical Garden logo

 

Standard Institutional Members

Bartlett Tree Experts logo
Catalina Island Conservancy logo
Forrest Keeling Nursery logo
Houston Botanic Garden logo
Rice University
San Diego Botanic Garden logo
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance logo
South Carolina Botanical Garden

 

The Huntington
The John Fairey Garden