Is a bur oak a good tree to plant in Indiana?
Bur Oak can work here, with caveats. Bur oak is native to Indiana and is the defining tree of the state's rare bur oak savanna remnants. In central Indiana it is uncommon compared with pin oak and silver maple in older subdivisions, but it is one of the oaks most often recommended for tough urban sites here because of its alkaline soil and salt tolerance, so it shows up regularly on replacement lists where ash came out.
What you'd be signing up to clean up
Bur oak drops the largest acorns of any North American oak — up to two inches across with a shaggy fringed cap — and they land hard enough to dent a car hood and are a real rolling-ankle hazard on a walk or drive. Mast years are irregular, arriving every few years, and the tree also sheds thick leathery leaves that resist mowing and mulch slowly.
Where to keep it away from
Bur oak drives a deep taproot as a seedling and keeps a deep, far-ranging root system, which is exactly where its drought and salt tolerance come from. Practically that makes it the least likely oak here to lift a drive or surface in a lawn, but also the hardest to move at any size and, once established, genuinely intolerant of having that root plate trenched, filled, or compacted.
Related
- How much does it cost to remove a bur oak?→
- Should I remove or save my bur oak?→
- When should a bur oak be pruned?→
- Are bur oak roots a problem for foundations or pipes?→
- Is my bur oak dying or just stressed?→
- How much does it cost to remove an american basswood?→
- Should I remove or save my american basswood?→
- When should an american basswood be pruned?→