Shumard and N. Red make good street trees - in fact, Oaks do better as street trees than most maples do.

However, if you're in the alkaline-soil part of Ohio (basically, west of I-71) I'd avoid Pin Oak.

If you are in Eastern Ohio, where soils are generally acid, pin oak is also OK.

Well, it turns out I live in eastern Ohio, and we have a neighbor across the street whom has a Pin Oak and it looks great. A local arborist told me it is about 18-20 years old and it is big. How long do the various oaks live in city settings? Do oaks have the same type of root structure that maples have? What I mean is, maples tend to be very shallow and butcher sidewalks, etc..

I really appreciate the advice,
Jeff

see link ...

500+ acre tree farm.. and it cant be all that far from you ... [i traveled 3.5 hours to go there]

good friends from the hosta community ...

in 2000 he sold me 35 oaks.. red.. scarlet.. shingle.. black ...

i am not sure how up on the technology they are... i suggest a phone call .. and a visit.. if you ever get a nice w/end for such ...

as a hosta grower.. oak are favored due to their deeper roots... as compared to maples tendency toward surface roots ....

they WILL KNOW... what is favored for your OH location ...

copy/paste this link:

http://wadeandgattonnurseries.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Quercus-Oaks-Retail-2013.pdf

in a normal year.. proper planting time is right around 4//1 .... so get a move on this

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks Ken, yeah I know I am running out of time. I really miss not having a tree in front of the house. What size should I start with? I have heard that younger one's will catch up with larger plantings fairly quickly. Is this true?

Jeff

absolutely ...

i got 6 to 8 foot bare roots from them ...

8 feet when standing next them.. 6 foot when roots in the ground ...

i dont know if they will sell such to you???

bare root a dormant tree ... and plant it in native soil ...

if you have clay... see link

call them ASAP

ken

I have 2 pin oaks in my front yard, planted about 12 years ago as 6-8ft trees....they are 25-35ft tall now. Really beautiful trees, great fall color, coppery red (if thats a color). The only negative is they retain their dead leaves in the winter, I do not mind, some do. We get some pretty good wind storms and never had a problem,
in fact don;t think as much as a branch has been snapped off by wind or ice.
I also have shumard and northern red in my back yard. Also, beautiful trees, really like the leaves for the red oak, great fall color, dark red.
If you get a pin oak, get a smaller one that you can train to grow with a single leader, much prettier tree. They grow tall and more narrow. Pin's grow super fast.

If your neighbor has the pin, you may as well diversify and plant a (muehlenbergii:)

Dax

You said you have unlimited verticle space, but how about horizontal? I don't mean to nitpick but if you plant oaks you need a decent amount of clearance sideways, at least for wires. I think you know this, but I am saying it anyway. I think that the Chestnut oak (Quercus Montana/ Prinus) is my fastest growing oak in the white oak family, Quercus Alba is slow growing but a quality tree. I love most all oaks but Quercus Nigra , Q. Laurifolia and Sawtooth oak (can't remember it's latin name) those are weak wooded. Just my 2 cents.

Hi poaky1, yeah I realize the horizontal direction as well. I have roughly 30' to the left and 20' to the right where there is a aging norway maple. With the street, I would have to make sure the bottom branches are high enough to clear vehicles. At least once the tree begins to get decent sized. Right now I am leaning toward the Northern Red Oak. How big will this really get? I don't care what it does after, say 50 years. I will be gone by then.

Nuttall Oak Quercus texana and/or
Cow Oak Quercus michauxii

Both fast growing, both excellent fall color. Both under-utilized though that is changing for the Nuttall. If going the Nuttall Route, search for the "New Madrid" strain. It has excellent fall AND spring color.

Arktrees

I like pin oak for its growth form and hardiness. They have a strongly excurrent form (single leader), allowing a nice, relatively symmetrical form. The acorns are much smaller than the huge ones from red oak. Lawnmowers + red oaks in mast = lots of flying projectiles!. They also tolerate some pretty bad conditions as street trees here in southern New England and do very well. The leaves hanging on is something I like. Adds some nice sounds in an otherwise quiet winder. Kind of like Beech in that regard.

Pin oak has a rep. for sending limbs down toward the ground. I've heard they may even keep trying after the offending limbs were limbed up. And it gets huge. Something to think about.

Shumard also gets huge, and I think also holds dead leaves during winter. I like the big, broad leaves.

I've got a Nutall in the back yard that does not hold leaves in winter, and nor does my Swamp White Oak.

I like dead leaves on trees in winter - makes the yard look less skeletal in winter.

Richard.