Oaks have been on my mind this year (2021) in a big way. I began to pay more attention to them after reading how important they are to food webs for wildlife. Then became seriously hooked on the challenge of identifying oaks after a casual internet search for how to tell a chestnut oak from a chinquapin oak led me to an excellent guide to identifying the 20 native Tennessee oaks, written by three professors at the University of Tennessee. With the professors’ permission I adapted their guide to a series of flash cards to share with friends and family who might want to look more closely at oaks. And had a blast talking about the the flash cards as part of Metro Nashville Tree Advisory Committee’s monthly ‘Tree Talk’ series – you can watch that here .
You are welcome to download and print the cards and use them to quiz yourself and your friends or as a handy pocket-size guide to take in the field. I’ve found that knowing the names and a few facts about each oak has a added a new, fun dimension to hikes through parks and neighborhoods.
Other resources:
Cumberland River Compact Root Nashville‘s blog Why Native Oaks Matter .
The Metro Tree Advisory Committee’s Tree Talk series is held on the third Tuesday of the month at noon and features guest speakers and tree topics that range from tree health and lore to community efforts to plant and sustain our tree canopy. Call the urban forester (Jennifer Smith) at Metro Nashville Public Works to add your name to the email notification list.
