Bur Oak ?

[Fire in the hole]

What age would you thing the two bur oak trees in the picture are??
50 years and 15??

[barbender]

It's nearly impossible to tell from pictures, IMO. The surrounding forest looks to be less than 70 or so years old. The small bur oak would be between 5-10 years old on my property.

[Fire in the hole]

Thanks� I understand that it is hard to tell from the pictures it was cut 12 years ago, I had hoped for more oak regeneration is it about 40 years before bur oaks are mature to make acorns?�

[Jeff]

Please use the forum similes, as your phone emoticons do not appear on the posts. only weird little symbols

[SwampDonkey]

The bigger oak it probably 80. The little ones are 10-12 years old for sure, probably grew near the skid path. That suppressed fir to the far left is probably 50+, the growth looks slow, so it's probably getting soft in the middle. Pun intended.

[Fire in the hole]

The bigger oak it probably 80. The little ones are 10-12 years old for sure, probably grew near the skid path. That suppressed fir to the far left is probably 50+, the growth looks slow, so it's probably getting soft in the middle. Pun intended.

Thanks swamp Donkey
Do you think it needs some thinning?

[SwampDonkey]

The type of thinning will vary I suspect. If there are large patches of thick young regrowth under 20 feet tall go at it with a clearing saw space about 6-8, I would prefer 8. I've seen a lot of 6 foot spacing end up to being too close. And it doesn't take more than 10 years to see it is too close. Other areas of big stuff cut the suppressed junk down around the best trees within 12 feet of them, chainsaw work. Some areas probably won't get thinned at all depending on their health. Real tall skinning stuff over 30 feet won't stand in the storms. Don't thin wet ground unless it is cedar and a few spruce in it. Cedar is a tricky one, got to make sure no live whorls are on the stumps, they will continue to live and now you have 6+ trees where there was 1. I'm slowly thinning mine for the second time, slower this time because what I cut out I burn in the stove.