International Oak Society

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International Oak Society

A society founded to further the study, sustainable management, preservation, appreciation, and dissemination of knowledge about oaks and their ecosystems.

Goals:
To advance the state of scientific knowledge regarding oaks and oakland ecology
To locate, preserve and catalog significant oak-related literature
To facilitate the location and distribution of living material for propagation of oaks
To foster communication among members via a journal, other mailings, and periodic meetings
To promote the study, development, naming, and distribution of super

ior cultivars and cultivar groups for horticultural use, and the study of oaks for the production of timber, mast, and other useful products
To sponsor the preservation, display, and interpretation of oak-related traditions, art, and lore; and encourage development and curation of appropriate and useful collections of oak-related pieces, such as wood samples, taxonomic specimens, or historic oak artifacts
To develop the capability and to serve as a registrar authority for oak cultivars, historic and champion oak trees, ancient oak groves, unusual or rare oak specimens, or objects of significance involving oaks
To provide information regarding the use, preservation, and appreciation of oaks, and successful techniques for oak culture and management
To encourage, recognize and honor outstanding achievements by individuals and organizations, members and non-members, in advancing these goals of the International Oak Society

17/04/2026

There are still a few spaces remaining for the UK Oak Open Days this May 16–17, 2026! Join us for an exclusive weekend exploring two remarkable private arboretums:

White House Farm (Kent): A celebrated plantsman’s garden featuring wild-provenance oaks grown alongside stunning temperate trees from East Asia, the Himalaya, and Australasia.

Wynkcoombe Arboretum (West Sussex): A beautiful collection bringing together a wide range of Old and New World Quercus taxa, planted with a keen botanical and silvicultural focus.

Don’t miss out, secure your spot today! Visit the link in our bio to register.

Photo Credits:
1: White House Farm 2: Wynkcoombe Arboretum 3. & 4: Roderick Cameron at Wynkcoombe Arboretum

14/04/2026

Our next adventure takes us to the botanical crossroads of the world. 🇹🇷🌿

Get ready for a 7-day botanical and cultural expedition through the diverse ecoregions of Türkiye. From the ancient temperate forests of the Caucasus-Anatolian-Hyrcanian region to the unique sclerophyllous and mixed woodlands of the Aegean, this is your rare opportunity to experience some of the most remarkable oak ecosystems on the planet. 🌍

But the Tour of Türkiye isn’t just about the trees. It’s about exploring with fellow oak enthusiasts from every corner of the globe.

Spaces are limited. We expect this tour may fill up quickly, so be sure to set your reminders! ⏰

Check the link in our bio for the full itinerary and to preview the details before registration opens tomorrow. For exact registration times, please refer to the website. We hope to see you in Türkiye!

08/03/2026

Look at a single oak leaf, and you see nature. Arrange them in a circle, and you see a symbol that has captivated humanity for millennia.

In a recent International Oak Society journal, our article “Virtuous Circles: Oaks and Art” explores the connection between this enduring shape and the mighty Quercus.

The circle represents time, cycles, and continuity. It is a geometry we see in the Neolithic stones of Drombeg and the ancient tree ring of Cavanacaw. Today, artists Ackroyd & Harvey () are reviving this ancient form. Through their Beuys’ Acorns project, they are planting living, circular monuments across the UK—creating “virtuous circles” that bridge our deep history with our ecological future.

Swipe to trace the circle from a simple leaf, to ancient stone, to living art.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

📸 Photos of the artworks, including the leaf circles, are courtesy of

15/02/2026

Ice spikes on Oregon White Oak ❄️🌰

These incredible photos capture Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) acorns encased in soft rime ice. This phenomenon occurs when supercooled water droplets in freezing fog hit the cold branches and freeze instantly, building these delicate, needle-like structures.

Quercus garryana stands as the “farthest outpost” of the oak genus in the Pacific Northwest—the only native oak to make it north into Washington and British Columbia.

Millions of years ago, North America was covered in tropical rainforests. As the planet cooled, those tropical trees retreated south, unable to handle the drop in temperature. But the Oaks were ready.

When you see these acorns encased in ice, you aren’t just seeing a cold morning. You’re seeing an evolutionary superpower that allowed oaks to inherit the hemisphere: Resilience.

📸 Stacy Simanonok | East Cascades Oak Partnership |
📍 Late January at an ECOP restoration site on the eastern edge of Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon

11/01/2026

From a single acorn to a garden titan.

Following our look at the wild giants of Iran (see our last post), here’s the story of a remarkable Quercus castaneifolia grown at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (London)—now considered the largest tree in the Gardens by volume.

Kew received seed of this species in 1843, and this individual was planted out in 1846.

Swipe through its long timeline:
➡️ A humble acorn
➡️ The same tree in 1914
➡️ And today: a 36.6 m (120 ft) giant—still standing after nearly two centuries of storms, droughts, and history.

A reminder that “planting a seed” isn’t just a metaphor.

🔗 Read the full cultivation story by John Anderson (plus the full Species Spotlight) via the link in our bio.

📸 Photo Credits: 1, 4: Roderick Cameron 2 : Parisa Panahii 3: W.J. Bean’s Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

08/01/2026

Meet Quercus castaneifolia, the Chestnut-leaved oak. A measurement from Iran’s Hyrcanian forests puts a Quercus castaneifolia at 63.3 m tall (≈208 ft)—making it a contender for the tallest oak ever recorded!

This giant has a massive diameter of 4.2 m (13.7 ft) and an estimated age of 450–500 years. In its native range along the Caspian Sea, this species is known as Siah-mazoo (Black oak) due to its thick, dark, and deeply fissured bark.

Swipe through to see this potential world-record giant (photos 1-2), its massive companions, and the unique ecosystems they have inhabited for centuries.

🔗 Read the full species spotlight by Parisa Panahi and Mehdi Pourhashemi at the link in our bio.

Question: What is the tallest or most massive oak you have ever stood beneath? Tell us where it was in the comments! 👇🌳

📸 Photo Credits: 1, 2, 7, 8: Mostafa Khoshnevis 3, 6: Khosro Sagheb Talebi 4: Parisa Panahi 5: Majid Hasani

24/12/2025

Did you know that in Serbian Orthodox tradition, the Oak is a central figure of Christmas? This is the Badnjak ceremony. Think of it as a living, sacred relative of the Yule log.

THE TRADITION: In the forest, a young oak (often Quercus cerris) is selected and treated with deep personality and respect. From the moment it is cut (often with offerings of wine and grain on the stump) to the moment it is anointed with honey in the home, it is honored before being ceremonially given to the fire.

🔥 Why the Fire? It’s all about the sparks. As the branches are placed on the flames, the sparks that fly up represent prayers for happiness, health, and prosperity in the coming year. The traditional prayer says: “How many sparks, that much happiness!”

🌿 A Sustainable Harvest? For those worried about the trees, the tradition has an ecological balance. These saplings are typically culled from dense thickets, acting as “silvicultural cleaning” that thins the forest and allows the remaining trees to grow stronger.

Read the full article on this fascinating tradition by Nikola Šušić at the link in our bio.

Image Credits (all via Wikimedia Commons):
"Badn“ak in St. Mark's Ch’rch" by ”latno krilo (CC BY-SA 4.0)
"Badn“ak saleswoman" by ”oldfinger (CC BY-SA 3.0)
"Badn“ak-Beograd" by ”ranka VV (CC BY-SA 3.0)
"Badn“ak” by B.navez (CC BY-SA 3.0)

06/10/2025

We met this woman in Apulco, Puebla, selling keychains made from what we believe are the giant acorns of Quercus corrugata.

A nearby trail led us into the surrounding cloud forest with immense Quercus sartorii and Quercus lancifolia.

01/10/2025

Proof that “not all that glitters is gold”: the living gold of these Quercus castanea leaves.

Day 2 of our pre-conference tour took us into the stunning Sierra de Santa Rosa, high above Guanajuato. “I could camp here for a week,” one of our participants said. We only had an afternoon, but what an afternoon it was.

Highlights from our whirlwind tour of this diverse forest included:
🌰 Quercus rugosa absolutely dripping with acorns.
🍃 The unique, almost perfectly round leaves of Quercus jonesii, reminiscent of a Ficus.
🗒️ Adding Q. scytophylla, Q. edwardii, and Q. microphylla to our growing list for the trip!

A truly unforgettable immersion in the world of Mexican oaks.

30/09/2025

For our first stop we were introduced to Quercus purhepecha, a shrub oak described only last year, spreading by rhizomes. Even better, it was presented in the field by the first author of its description, Oscar de Luna-Bonilla.
Named in honor of the Indigenous Purépecha people of Michoacán. With a very limited range, it was an exciting start to our tour.

11/09/2025

We are less than a month out from the 11th International Oak Society Conference! Join us in the beautiful city of Oaxaca de Juárez in Mexico for the opportunity to talk, learn, and laugh with a variety of oak enthusiasts. The last day to register to attend is September 15th so don’t wait to sign up. Comment below if we’ll see you there!

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Website

http://www.internationaloaksociety.org/

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