Quercus robur #1 at Heath Park

Quercus robur 0

Quercus robur
early August 2015

Grid reference ST 17765 79649
Common name Common oak
Common name English oak
Origin Europe
Deciduous Yes
Height 18M August 2015
Girth 289cm August 2015
Reference 270

This tree is located on the east edge of the main car park.

The approximate age of this tree is calculated by estimating its lifetime growing conditions and measuring its girth.[1]

The age calculation has been made on the basis that this ground is a "average" site. The ground is considered no better than average as the soil comprises blue clay and is compacted.

Doing the calculation on the basis of this being a average site, the tree is estimated to be approximately 136 years old in 2015, and therefore started growing around 1879.

Quercus robur bark

Quercus robur bark
August 2015

Quercus robur foliage

Quercus robur foliage
mid September 2015

General tree description

Quercus robur is a large deciduous tree with a wide spreading crown. In maturity it can reach a height of 20 to 40 metres, and a girth of over 4 metres, exceptionally 12 metres. It has a long lifespan and commonly lives to several hundred years old. There are examples of Quercus robur reaching ages of more than a thousand years. The leaves are around 10cm long with 4-5 deep lobes with smooth edges, and they have very short stalks. Flowering occurs in mid spring, and the fruits, in the form of acorns, ripen in autumn. They come singly or in groups of up to three in cups on a slender stalk.

Sources of Information

  1. Estimating the Age of Large and Veteran Trees in Britain