Do you have an oak tree on your property that is more than 100” around (about 4’ above the ground)? Share its location with us! We’ll dispatch a team to remove any buckthorn trees growing under your valuable oak tree at no charge to you. We just love saving oak trees!
Contact MOLA for help saving your valuable Oak trees from invasive threats.
Oak Trees are a “keystone” species. A Keystone Species is one that supports a wide variety of wildlife. Oak Trees support over 400 species of birds, insects, mammals, fungi, and moss. They usually live to be 200 years old, but some oak trees have been aged to be 1,000 years old!
Oaks provide shade, saving us energy in hot summer months, and can transpire up to 50 gallons of water per day…something of great value in our poorly draining Mettawa soil. An oak tree does not produce seeds (acorns) until they reach 20 years old, and while they produce acorns in abundance (2,000/tree annually), only 1 in 10,000 will germinate.
Buckthorn is a threat to this valuable resource.Trees like buckthorn support less than 10 species. Worse, buckthorn damages oak trees by growing close to their trunks, with buckthorn branches rubbing the oak bark off the tree. Buckthorns leaf-out in early spring, making any chance for that 1 in 10,000 acorns to germinate even less likely because it will be starved for sunlight.
As buckthorn leaves fall in autumn, the chemical make-up released in decomposition changes the soil chemistry that can kill oak tress and other desirable vegetation.
Mettawa Open Lands Association will help you save your legacy oak trees!
Since these ancient oak trees are so important, a dedicated group of volunteers is ready to help you save your ‘Heritage Oak Tree’ (one that is >200 years old).
All you need to do is to find an oak tree on your property that is more than 100” around (about 4’ above the ground) and share its location with us! We’ll dispatch a team to remove any buckthorn trees growing under your valuable oak tree at no charge to you. We just love saving oak trees!
For more information about how MOLA can help you save the oaks, please email us.