It is quite adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions. Its native range is eastern Kansas along moist streams and upland rocky hillsides. The fastest growing member of the red oak family is Shumard oak ( Quercus shumardii) making it a great choice for the home landscape. Give it room to grow and you will be rewarded with an excellent shade tree. Ours at the arboretum puts on good growth each year – one to two feet. This tree adapts to most soil types, including heavy clay. They eventually turn brown, but stay on the tree much of the winter. Leaves are dark green throughout the year. Typical growth is 30 to 50 feet in height and 30 to 40 feet in spread. It is native to Europe, but a versatile tree in Kansas. If it can grow in Kinsley, it can grow anywhere in the state. The Kansas state champion English oak ( Quercus robur) is in Kinsley. The Bur oaks don’t typically have great fall color, but it is very sturdy and problem-free. Mature height is 50 to 80 feet tall and with a spread from 40 to 60 feet. Generally, it is slow growing, but in the right conditions it can grow two to three feet a year. This native oak of the eastern two-thirds of Kansas is one of the most adaptable hardwood trees in Kansas. West of Hesston, there is one that has a span of over 150 feet. When I go fishing along the Cottonwood River, I can’t help but notice the huge Bur oaks ( Quercus macrocarpa) stretching out their limbs over the river. (This is my list, but there are over 10 species of oaks native to Kansas and several other non-native varieties that are equally tenacious.) OAK TREES FOR KANSAS 1. Here are five oaks trees that are “plains tough”. To sit under a mature tree on a warm afternoon, enjoy the blue skies and sip your favorite cool drink is a special experience. They need to withstand the rigors of the climate. Trees in this part of the world need to be resilient.įolks in areas of the country that have an abundance of trees often take trees for granted.
Months without rain are common, but so is the occasional soaking rain that saturates the soil. They endure heat and extreme cold along with persistent wind. If you live in Kansas long enough, you really begin to appreciate trees. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun. The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun.