Oak Trees

Scrub oak leaves (left) are sharp and pointed while gambles oak (right) are lobed.

NPS/

Two species of oak are found on Parashant National Monument, Quercus turbinella, the Sonoran scrub oak or shrub live oak, and Quercus gambelii, the Gambel’s oak. To identify them, one must look at the shape of the tree, its leaves, and where the tree grows. In the arid landscape of Parashant, oaks are often found small, twisted, and scrubby. While neither species get very large, the shape of the scrub oak is noticeably more shrub like than that of the Gambel’s oak, which appears more like a tree. The classic lobes of the oak leaf end in sharp points on the scrub oak while Gambel’s oak retains more of the standard rounded lobe look. Finally, while they may overlap in some areas, most scrub oak is found in lower elevations, around 4,000 feet, while Gambel’s oak generally grows at higher elevations, up to 8,500 feet.

Though somewhat sparse, oak trees play an important role in the ecology of Parashant’s forests. They are a valuable food source for many animals and, in turn, rely on animals, such as the squirrel, to propagate future generations of oak. During acorn season, typically autumn, squirrels spend the majority of their time searching out acorns and caching them in storage larders for later consumption. While they are very good at remembering where their hundreds of caches are hidden, occasionally they forget one. The forgotten caches sprout when the weather warms and become the newest oak trees in the forest, growing together in tight clumps. In another 20-30 years, these young oaks will mature and drop acorns of their own and the process will begin again.