Lessons From 45 Years of Oak Regeneration at Stanford University

Dave Muffly

Published May 2023 in International Oaks No. 34: 59–64

Abstract

Tree plantings often fail. In fact, many tree-planting projects are begun with the expectation that the majority of the trees planted will die. But what might be possible if success was the expectation? Nearly 50 years ago, people began planting acorns on a beloved but heavily grazed open space at Stanford University called “The Dish”. After a few years, they realized that the acorns were all being eaten, and they built cages for the trees. At the same time, Stanford began paying these people to plant oaks, starting an oak odyssey that continues to this day. Protection methods were improved until local birds and rodents couldn’t reach the trees. Cattle were excluded, vast numbers of volunteers were recruited, watering methods were honed, weeds were pulled, mulch was applied, Tubex tree shelters were adopted, and careful records were kept. By the early 1990s, first-year survival rates exceeded 80%, virtually unheard-of in wildland tree plantings. Today, thousands of oaks, both at The Dish and on the main campus at Stanford, attest to the efficacy of these methods. The tallest trees stand 40 feet tall or more, having received just two years of establishment irrigation. Other oaks are alive but stunted, often only a few feet tall after decades, the victims of locally thin soils without sufficient rooting volume to support large trees. Deducing growth potential from soil indicator plants proved the last ingredient in achieving predictable success with oak plantings.

Keywords

California oaks, Magic Inc