2 Types of Oak Trees in Nova Scotia

The common trees in Nova Scotia include oak trees. There are two types of oaks found in this province, red and white. The leaves for both are lobed or toothed with a sharp point at the tip. Red oak has reddish-brown bark that is thick, furrowed, and scaly while white oak has light gray bark that is thin, smooth-textured, and pliable.

Nova Scotia’s climate ranges from humid continental to subarctic, but it does not have any native species of oak trees, so all the ones you see here were imported over time by settlers who saw beauty in them.

Nova Scotia is a provincial territory of Canada and is one of the three Maritime Provinces and one of four Atlantic Provinces of the country. The province’s mainland, known as the Nova Scotia peninsula, is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and includes several bays and estuaries. Lying in the mid-temperate region of the country, although the province is surrounded by ocean, it primarily experiences a continental climate rather than a maritime climate.

Notably, the winter and summer extreme temperatures of the province are moderated by the ocean. However, the extreme winter temperatures are still low enough to characterize the climate of Nova Scotia as a continental climate. Moreover, since Nova Scotia is home to 5,400 inland lakes, the soils are well-drained with freshwater, resulting in large expanses of densely forested areas, consisting of many deciduous and evergreen tree species.

Nova Scotia is often described as Canada’s Ocean Playground because four major water bodies surround the province. These include the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the Gulf of Maine, the Bay of Fundy, and the Atlantic Ocean.

This article will outline some of the most common types of oak trees in Nova Scotia, explaining each species’ defining features and important characteristics along the way.

1. Northern Red Oak (quercus rubra Lobatae)

Quercus Rubra
Rebecca Dellinger-Johnston Quercus Rubra

The Northern Red Oak is a species of Oaktree within the genus of Red Oak. It is indigenous to the North American continent and can be found from the north of the Great Lakes region to Nova Scotia, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Kansas. This deciduous tree grows tall and straight, typically reaching up to 28 meters and exceptionally up to 43 meters. The tree is fast-growing and long-lived in the right conditions, often living for up to 400 years.

2. Red Oak (quercus rubra)

Quercus rubra
Bruce Kirchoff Quercus rubra

Red Oak is a genus of trees that contains over 500 species of oak trees. Species of Red Oak can be either evergreen or deciduous depending on the range and environment of growth. These ornamental and timber trees and shrubs are known for their bristle-tipped leaves, hairy shelled acorns, and bitter seeds. Some of the most commonly cultivated species of Red Oak are the Northern Red Oak, Southern Red Oak, Cherry Bark Oak, and Scarlett Oak.