Do Bur Oaks Grow in New Jersey?

Natural Range

• Bur oaks are found naturally beside streams, on sandy ridges, in open woods and on prairies from Montana to Texas in the United States and from New Brunswick west to Saskatchewan in Canada. They can potentially be grown in all states except for the warmer parts of California and the southernmost portions of Texas and Florida.

Soil

• No matter where you live in New Jersey, your soil type shouldn't be a problem for growing a bur oak. Bur oaks will adapt to clay soils, alkaline soils, and soils that drain poorly. If the soil is not compacted, their roots usually grow well below the ground surface and will not buckle curbs or sidewalks, but you should not plant a bur oak in a strip of lawn less than 10 feet wide.

Settings

• The bur resists urban air pollution and heat stress, making it a good shade tree in urban areas. It tolerates salty air so you should be able to grow it on the New Jersey coast. If you live in the suburbs or countryside, whitetail deer, mice, rabbits squirrels, wild turkeys, wood ducks, mice and other rodents will all love the bur oak acorns, although the trees do not produce acorns until after about 35 years. Bur oak acorns are larger than those of other oak species.

Growth Rate

• While a mature bur oak may grow from 60 to 80 feet tall with a spread of 60 to 80 feet, do not expect it to become a grand shade tree any time soon. They’re slow growers, pushing less than 12 inches a year growth when they’re young and even less as they get older. As a more vigorously growing alternative, University of Connecticut arborists suggest “Clemons” (Quercus x macdanielli “Clemons”), a hybrid between the bur oak and the English oak (Quercus robur), trademarked as Heritage oak. “Clemons” grows up to 80 feet tall, spreading 50 feet wide.