The willow oak (Quercus phellos) is a state-endangered species in Pennsylvania (rank S2). It occurs rather abundantly in the tiny sliver of the Atlantic coastal plain that stretches into the very southeastern corner of PA. But because most of this coastal plain region in PA has been developed, fragmented, or otherwise extensively disturbed, their wild populations are relatively low in number. Willow oak does quite well as a street and landscape tree here in Philadelphia and suburbs (even into th

The PA state champion Post Oak (Quercus stellata) hasn’t been remeasured since 2001, so I went to check it out! It is now 24 points larger than in 2001, and continues to grow slowly. Check out @pabigtrees for more! The Post Oak is a native oak to the Eastern US, from central Texas up to parts of New England. It is not too common here in Pennsylvania, and is mostly found on dry ridge tops and barrens. Its drought tolerance is quite impressive! It is more of a medium-sized oak that rarely exceeds