Planting Oaks

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

Guidelines

There are two approaches for getting oak trees established.

One is to plant acorns, which is less costly than transplanting small saplings. It is important to collect the acorns soon after they drop because viability declines quickly and insects or fungus and can quickly damage acorns. There are some options to source acorns in the Willamette Valley, but because availability is dependent on production, availability can be unpredictable.

Planting acorns should be done in the fall after the rains return. They should be placed ½ to 2 inches deep in the ground if they will be irrigated, otherwise they should be planted 2-4 inches deep (planting deeper also reduces predation). It is important to plant a large number of seeds since survival is very low; only about 1 in 500 will become mature trees.   

This video, produced by the Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District, provides a helpful overview on planting acorns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGSQdmA69-c

Oak savannas - characterized by open areas dominated by native grasses with scattered large, Oregon white oak trees and a few conifers - are some of the most threatened habitats in the Pacific Northwest. The good news is that there is ample opportunity for landowners to establish new oak savannas on their properties by planting Oregon white oak.

The other approach for getting oak trees established is to plant seedlings. This method leads to higher survivorship but is more expensive and requires irrigation in the first two years during the dry months of the summer in order to help ensure that they survive.  

Whether you plant acorns or seedlings you will increase the number of oak trees that get established if you place a 4 ft. x 4 ft. section of weed cloth (or some type of mulch) at the base of the tree to suppress grass and other vegetation and place tree shelters around the trunks to protect the seedlings from deer and elk browsing and vole damage. Tree shelters can also increase growth rate.

The Tualatin SWCD has another great video about planting oak seedlings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIgFl2VYaGg

Courtesy of Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District