Oak Trees in the Tallgrass Prairie

Oak Trees in the Tallgrass Prairie. . ,

I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do."

Willa Cather, O Pioneers, 1913, It may sound strange, but trees are the largest plants on earth. They are also the longest-living organisms on the planet. Giant sequoias have lived for more than 3,000 years. And the tallest sequoia is more than 275 feet high., Minnesota can't touch California's giant sequoias for age or height, but the state does have many substantial, long-lived trees. There are white cedars in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness believed to be more than 1,000 years old. And many trees exceed 100 feet in height, including aspen, cottonwood, elm, pine and spruce. Minnesota is also home to the nation's largest jack pine, red pine and white spruce., In this region of southeastern Minnesota, oak trees are often the oldest species. Southwest of here on private land is a bur oak with a girth of more than 20 feet. This stout tree is estimated to be from 300 to 500 years old. (It started growing before George Washington was born in 1732)., Oak trees like these grow well in this region. Oaks prefer sunlight and well-drained soil. Bur oaks were often the first trees to take root in the tallgrass prairie. Their thick bark protected them from uncontrolled prairie fires that frequently scorched the land. In the surrounding valleys and hillsides, red oak and (less often) white oak can be found. The acorns provide food for deer, turkey, squirrels and other wildlife., At one time, this sloping hillside may have been a dry oak savanna, one of the rarest prairie types in Minnesota. Dry oak savannas were located in the transition zone between prairie and woodland. These prairies included a collection of bur oak and northern pin oak. However, as prairie fires became a thing of the past, other trees invaded dry oak savannas and converted them to wooded hillsides., Old Oak tree, Giant sequoias