Oaks

Canopy thinning for oak woodland restoration

Oak ecosystems are declining across the Midwest. The Arboretum is undertaking research and restoration initiatives to find ways to combat these declines.

Global Oak Conservation Partnership

Saving oaks from extinction through integrated conservation management and global collaborations.

The IUCN Red List of Oaks

Completing threat assessments for the world’s oak species to prioritize species for conservation and enable policymakers to protect threatened oaks.

Nitrogen deposition effects on current and future forests

Midwestern forests are a “hot spot” for nitrogen deposition - a pervasive, and perhaps irreparable, anthropogenic global change phenomena. Could this be driving declines in oak regeneration across Chicagoland?

Oaks of the Americas Conservation Network

Linking science to practice to achieve effective conservation of oak diversity

Tree conservation initiatives and collaborations in Latin America

Working with partners from multiple sectors in Latin America to research and protect threatened tree species, and advance tree conservation across the region

Gap analyses of ex situ collections and in situ conservation needs for North American oak species

Locating, prioritizing, and proposing amendments to spatial and genetic gaps within ex-situ collections of native U.S. oaks, towards the continued security of each species.

Clonal structure and pollen biology of Quercus havardii, a Western sand dune oak

We are using DNA data to further understand the reproductive biology of an under-studied oak, Quercus havardii, which will help inform seed collection strategies and collection management.

Preservation of seed in living collections of Quercus havardii, a Western sand dune oak

We collected acorns from across the range of Quercus havardii and distributed them to partner gardens to grow, research, and showcase this unique oak to the public.

Range-wide population structure of Quercus havardii, a Western sand dune oak

We are using DNA data to better understand the connectivity and recent history of populations of Quercus havardii, a Western sand dune oak.

Safeguarding Plant Collections by comparing ex situ and wild populations

We are quantifying the number of plants and seeds needed to best preserve genetic variation of 10 species of threatened trees in botanical gardens, which will be models for future seed collections.