Sawtooth Oak

There are lots of this species planted in the parks of Downingtown and West Chester in southeast Pennsylvania doing well. It is a pretty ...Read Moretree with shiny dark foliage of long leaves with little sharp teeth on the leaf margins. It is similar to the native Shingle Oak. I have not really seen it planted in residential yards much; just a few in a few affluent neighborhoods. It is another tree known much more by landscape architects and designers than the general public. Hinsdale Nursery in northeast Illinois is selling some of 2" caliber trees for about $400 each up in USDA Zone 5. It is slow growing of about 1 foot/year up near Chicago, but about 2 feet/year farther south and should be less expensive. It is native to China, Japan, and Korea, so it is not native here. I have not seen it go invasive into the wild yet, but it could.

One of the most widely used foods by wildlife are acorns. If it is acorns you desire, but don't have any Oak trees, you will be waiting a...Read Moret least 20 years after planting native Oaks before you see any substantial acorn production. Although I had many Oaks of several species growing on my property, they would sometimes go years between good mast production. I planted 25 Sawtooth Oak on a fence row which started producing acorns consistantly in 8 years. I also liked the fact that the trees retained their leaves well into the winter creating a wind break and a visibility screen. The tree is not a native but in the past 5 years of producing acorns, I found only 2 seedlings in the vicinity of my original planted stock. These two seedlings have not grown above 18" tall due to deer browsing. I would'nt call the Sawtooth a terrible invasive in Western Pennsylvania, although I cannot speak for other parts of the country. I have trail cam photos of deer, turkey, raccoon, and squirrel taking advantage of the acorn drop from these trees. There is no question that wildlife find the Sawtooth acorn attractive. I don't believe the Sawtooth Oak would make good timber as the crown opens up rather quickly. I still favor the White Oak and Swamp White Oak plantings the most. Native Oaks with edible acorns and most of all, proven longevity lasting hundreds of years.

The jury is still out on this tree imo. It does grow fast, for an oak, which is the primary reason why many people are planting it. How...Read Moreever, as others have stated it is considered an invasive species in many areas of the country, if that sort of thing bothers you. The other thing to consider, and more importantly imho, is how resistant it is to diseases in the many climates of the U.S. It may grow fast, but that would be useless if it is discovered 20-30 years from now that it is vulnerable to some sort of vascular disease or fungus. For this reason alone, it may be wiser to plant a native oak tree that is proven to thrive for hundreds of years in your own climate.

Beautiful tree! It's only invasive in my yard but no problem to control.
I have been growing these trees in my yard for over 20 ye...Read Morears, fruiting started over ten years ago but have only seen maybe two come up elsewhere on my 8 acre property. I have yet to see a single one in my area.