Valley Oak

Black Oak

The Northern California valley is filled with the Oak Tree. The various varieties can be seen from bushes to large park trees.
The many species of Valley Oaks were inadvertently cut up for years for firewood with little control. That has all changed in recent history with the adoption of strict controls on Oak Tree removal.

Valley Oak Trees in our area provide many benefits for both man and animal. Large Oak canopies provide a source of shade and habitat. Abundant acorn production feeds a multitude of natures needs not to mention the propagation of the species.

Valley Oaks seem to be very susceptible to Burls. The Burls grow like a tumor on the tree sometimes getting quite large. Burls have great grain patterns and can be finished into bowls, tables, or whatever they are large enough to produce.

For our purposes the Valley Oaks available to us are usually to small for us to do much with however they do make great leg stock and the Burls can be a tremendous find.

Hooker OakThere have been some very large specimens of Valley Oak like the massive Hooker Oak in Chico. I saw this beauty when I was young before it fell and the memory of it lives with me to this day. The Valley Oak has a trade mark characteristic of a large mushroom canopy reaching to the groun to form its own biosphere.

Valley Oak Leaves

Valley Oaks are known to live for hundreds of years and even up to 600. A great place to find some of these giants is in Bidwell Park in Chico California. This is the site of the original Robin Hood movie with Errol Flynn. Also within the park are many other Genus of trees.

The pictures of the Hooker Oak and the leaves to the right were both taken from Wikipedia by following the links below you can find further information on the photos and their subjects.