Chestnut Oak

Quercus montana

Chestnut oak is the ridge oak. adapted to the rocky, shallow, acidic soils of mountain slopes and dry ridgelines where other oaks struggle. The heavily ridged, corky bark is one of the most distinctive textures in the eastern forest, and the large wavy-edged leaves turn warm yellow-brown in October. An enormous acorn crop. the largest of any eastern white oak. sustains deer, turkeys, squirrels, and blue jays through fall and winter. This is a long-term investment tree. Slow to establish but extremely long-lived, chestnut oak grows into a wide-spreading canopy that anchors a landscape for generations. Plant it where you have space for something significant, where the soil drains well and the slope is challenging. It will thrive in conditions that defeat most other trees.