Tree Species Highlight

Once again we find ourselves melting away in the heat of summer and avoiding outside activities at all cost. When we do venture out, it never fails that we are hunting for the cooling oasis of shade that large trees can provide. Next time you are searching for a magnificent new shade tree for your yard, consider looking for a bur oak, or more specifically an Urban Pinnacle bur oak to provide those cooling needs.

Oftentimes, people overlook the bur oak when deciding on a large tree due to its large, up to 1 ½ inch diameter acorn. However, no longer does this magnificent species need to be ignored…. Enter the Urban Pinnacle cultivar of bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa ‘JFS-KW3’. The Urban Pinnacle oak has a tall upright, oval shaped growth habit with a strong central leader. The furrowed black bark gives way to large, deeply-lobed, glossy green leaves and small acorns that only get up to about ½ inch in diameter.
Urban Pinnacle oak
Urban Pinnacle oak leaves
This tree has the potential to mature to the ripe old age of 300 years, supported by the cultivar’s adaptability and tolerance of heat and drought. It can grow to 55 feet tall with a crown spread of about 25 feet. This stature makes Urban Pinnacle oak a great choice for spaces that may not be able to accommodate the general bur oak species, which grows much larger. Urban Pinnacle oak is also disease resistant and can tolerate both dry and moist soil conditions. As if all of this weren’t enough to get you excited about the Urban Pinnacle oak, the beautiful yellow fall foliage is icing on the cake.

Urban Pinnacle Oak is a great alternative shade tree in residential, roadway or park plantings. The Urban Forestry Department, along with the help of volunteers, has planted some of these magnificent trees near the detention pond on Swan Lake Rd just off Kelly Ave if you would like to see them in person.

Read about last season's Tree Species Highlight.
View more topics from the Summer 2018 issue of Edmond Tree Mail.
Urban Pinnacle oak acorns