Identifying Black Oak (Quercus velutina)

[Ron Scott]

We have sold and cut a lot of black oak here. Some good and some not so good depending upon the site. A lot of it has been "hammered" by the gypsy moth.

We mark and appraise all the oak seperately, red, black, and white mostly so that the buyers know what they are bidding on and we want them to know how much black oak is to be harvested. The more black oak there is the lower the bids, however.

I've seen some of the state sales sold and appraised as mixed oak, but we seperate it out since most sales are lump sum.

Of course not much of any oak is being sold right now due to the poor market condition.

[SwampDonkey]

I'm curious as ever now to get to Bear Island Campground this fall. I'm thinking that mystery oak from awhile back is black oak. The range of black oak is further north than scarlet. I know they have both in Maine. Hmmm

[Larry]

I rarely rely on the leaf for identification...most of the time way to high for me to see.  Lot of black oak in Arkansas.  The form is different than red oak with less limbs, scraggly shape, and seems like a lot will be dead limbs.  Bark is always darker.  Be prepared for the taste of stump water iffen ya log em...seems like quite a few are hollow.  They do make quite good firewood.

While were talking bout oak I’m really confused about the difference between northern red oak and southern red oak.  Things like uses and how to identify.  Guess a new thread would be quite interesting...at least to me.

[WDH]

OK Larry,

A new thread on each is soon forthcoming .  They are very different in leaf characteristics, bark characteristics, and acorn characteristics .  I will postpone the details until the posts.

For the black oak record, here are some more shade leaf pics from the great state of Texas courtesy of Tcsmpsi's place just east of Livingston.

Shade leaves on a smaller tree:
 
Looking up into the same tree showing shade leaf shapes:

[Lanier_Lurker]

I've been driving by this tree in my neigborhood for a couple of years and I been a wonderin what it might be.  Casual glances as I drive by have not been effective.

Now that it has some leaves on it, I deciding to wander up there earlier today and take a closer look.

I think it may belong in this thread.

Am I right WDH?  Or would you need more pictures?

[WDH]

That is good old Black Oak, Lanier_lurker.  Like you suspected.  Almost a dead ringer for the shade leaves that I posted .

[Lanier_Lurker]

I wish I could have posted some better pictures, but the image size restrictions here make it difficult when using a 5 megapixel camera.  I usually have to go through several iterations of cropping and shrinking to get them to fit.

(they should consider increasing the size limits - I'm an IT professional and I know how cheap disk storage and ISP traffic bandwidth have become)

Anyway, I guess the pictures was good enuf for you to make the call.

Whilst driving by this tree I was not even certain it was an oak.  I did not realize it was an oak until I got up close to it on foot.

Although you cannot tell it from the photos, it is a pretty DanG big tree (which is why I kept noticing it).  I shoulda took my tape and measured the circumference when I walked up there.  I would guess the dbh to be at least 30 inches.  I may go back and do it just so I will know.

When you get around to a post about identifying willow oak, I've got some nice pictures of the specimen next to the family tomb at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston ( I was there a couple of weeks ago).  I never knew they could get that big.  That sucker is between 6' and 7' dbh.

[Furby]

LL, if you are an IT pro, then you should be able to easily use compression software like the rest of us and not need to go through all the iterations.

The size limit is more for those of us that are stuck on dial up with no other internet options.
We like to see pics too.
My camera is a 5 meg and I have no problems.

[WDH]

Lanier_lurker,

We will do willow oak soon.  If you have pics to contribute, that will be wonderful .

[flip]

I cut some black oak for a guy about two weeks ago and 80% was good.  Cut a log for a different guy last night and it was scrappola black oak also.  It stunk like pin oak and was brown on the inside, not like other red red oak I've sawn.  I hate sawing crap wood.  

[Jeff]

LL, if you are an IT pro, then you should be able to easily use compression software like the rest of us and not need to go through all the iterations.

The size limit is more for those of us that are stuck on dial up with no other internet options.
We like to see pics too.
My camera is a 5 meg and I have no problems.

No kidding.  I use an 8 megapixle camera. Resize once to 450 pixles. Compress once to less then 35k. upload and post.  Thank god I ain't a professional or I'd never get nuthing done around here eh?

The reasons for the file size is not to inconvenience the individual but to benefit the forum as a whole. I've iterated and reiterated many times over and over repetitively and redundantly the reason for the file sizes. 

[OneWithWood]

So the size limit has increased to 450pixels and 35K?

[tcsmpsi]

So the size limit has increased to 450pixels and 35K?

Yeah, me too 

Oh, and to further implicate my dummyness, what is an IT Professional?

[Jeff]

So the size limit has increased to 450pixels and 35K?

    I don't advertise everything.  Has been for going on two years. 

[Jeff]

oops, sorry tcsmpsi, didnt mean to ignor ya.

information technology

or in my case

Infantile Turret's 

[Larry]

Just to get us back on topic...a typical Arkansas blackoak....maybe close to 4' DBH.

 

Love the stump water as we can use it to make very, very, special potions.

[Furby]

To be fair.........
I have had a couple pics that were so "busy" that I had a hard time compressing them without a ton of loss.
That can be worked around with a little effort and steps taken in the future to prevent it if I know it will be something that I post. But the amount of pics that actually have a problem is so small, it's hard to worry about it.

[WDH]

Larry,

If that is typical, I can see why there is no excitement over black oak.

[Don K]

Danny, If we ever get to meet, I have several trees I hope you can help me identify. Most tree Id books are vague. I hope to learn the species of white and red oaks. I guess I need to bone up and become my own self taught student.  Don

[WDH]

Don, as a fellow LT 15 owner, we have to meet .  I will be over that way pretty soon, as we (my company) owns many acres in your area.  Looking you up to see what you have accomplished with your place is an absolute certainty.  If we can't figure out those species, all the experts on the Forum will just have to help us... .  Hopefully, we can find something better to eat than black oak bark .  I hear it is not too good fried or broiled............