Program focuses on importance of oak trees

Residents can find out how planting an oak tree is one of the easiest, cheapest and best ways to help the environment at "An Evening for the Oaks."

The program will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, at the Woodridge Park District Community Center, 2600 Center Drive.

Sponsored by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and Woodridge Park District, the free program will include a brief presentation by local experts on planting and caring for oaks followed by a Q-and-A session. The program is for all ages, but attendees younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Register online or at (630) 933-7248.

The first 50 people to register will receive a free oak sapling. A limited number of oak trees also will be available for sale.

"Oaks are the foundation of our ecosystem," said Tom Velat, forest preserve district ecology coordinator. "They're dramatic and beautiful, but they also provide food and shelter for birds, insects and other wildlife year-round."

"Oak trees are the reason the Woodridge Park District initiated restoration efforts at Hawthorne Hill Woods," said Christopher Pollack, natural resources manager for the park district. "Creating habitat that allows for new oak growth is vitally important to the ecological health of our community."

Oaks can live to be 250 years old, but the county's population is aging. By planting saplings now, residents can ensure there will be mature oaks to replace them.

Some oak facts:

• Oaks are a keystone species. If they weren't around, other plants and animals might not be around either.

Red-headed woodpeckers and flying squirrels depend on oaks' large cavities to raise their young. More than 500 insects live and feed on oaks, providing food for Wilson's warblers, American redstarts, common yellowthroats and other insect-eating migrants rely on oaks' "fast food" stops along the way.

• Oak trees are usually large in size. They can reach 70 feet in height and 9 feet in width. Their branches can reach 135 feet in length.

• Oaks produce more than 2,000 acorns a year, but only one acorn in 10,000 will grow into a tree. Deer, squirrels and other wildlife eat a lot of acorns, and acorns that don't end up as meals need special conditions to sprout. They must remain at certain temperatures for four to eight weeks. If the weather is too warm or too cold, the process cannot start.

• An oak tree can soak up 50 gallons of water in one day. This means oaks can play an important role in flood-control efforts.