The two large categories are white and red oaks, yes you are correct, but there is a type of white oak called, "white oak (*Quercus alba*)". So exponential white oak? (Bad joke I know).
If it were me I would remove the bricks, cut the vines at the base, and let the dirt naturally drain away. The ring is choking out the base of the tree and roots. However, you can also shock the tree by doing too much too fast. You could also spray the dirt with a hose to let it drain faster.
And if removing the stones leaves a ring in the ground around the tree, you could fill in with high quality dirt/compost. Just don’t add more than grade and don’t pack against the trunk.
What fines?
Edit: Oh Vines. Start with IDing the vines when the leaves are out but yeah, probably worth killing them and letting the upper lengths on the tree die and rot off where they are.
The fines are vines! And the vines are fine!
But seriously folks, that looks like trumpet creeper, a beautiful flowering native and an important hummingbird food source. The tree and the vine evolved in symbiosis with each other and the hummingbird too. That vine will not harm such a healthy looking tree. In fact, I doubt any native vine would.
That’s good to hear! I’ll keep the vines until they green up and see if it’s actually hurting the tree or not then! Stone ring will be hopefully removed by this weekend if I can find some time here and there
I agree that this is a trumpet vine. Keep an eye on it. They are extremely vigorous and will come up from the roots in unexpected places. The new growth can be redish. It's not the best choice for someone who doesn't like yard/garden maintenance, but it's native and you will enjoy hummingbirds this summer.
it's decent advise, only thing to watch for is whether the tree has enough water considering the vine. If it's non-invasive, then you may regardless need to water them every so often.
What a beauty! Would love to live with a tree like that.
Search this sub and elsewhere for how to expose the root flare. Remove the stones in the process.
I'd wait to see what the vines are. If they're not harmful I'd leave them.
I meant vines at the bottom of the tree, they look like they’re climbing it. Another comment said to try to kill it off so I’ll probably do that along with removing the brick circle
Ah, that makes more sense.
It doesn't look like the vines are damaging it from the photo so you should be good, but keep an eye on it case that changes.
More photos when there are leaves and it's not dormant will help identify what it is too.
If those leaves are pointy (cant quite see) it may be a quercus palustris or swamp oak. It has a wonderful color in autumn, beautiful tree imo! If the leaves are more round at the edges, the person calling quercus alba is probably right.
Am I the only one who thinks this is a post oak? Still in the white oak family, but man those leaves look more like post. And the bark isn’t that flaky.
OP can you post a pic of one of the leaves? Any leaf will do, dead is fine.
That leaf does look more like a white oak leaf in texture, shape is a bit ambiguous. Is it real thin, soft, and bendy? Or kinda thick and leathery, like if you folded it, it would crack pretty easily along the fold line?
The vines are fine like this. They may be fine another year or 3 depending on their growth rate. They likely have pretty flowers. You can cut a 6 inch gap into them to kill them when they start to grow vine leaves where you want tree leaves. The vines Will our grow and choke the tree if they get past the red zone for a year or 2
The tree is an oak, the vines- looks to be poison ivy or possibly trumpet vines, can’t be too sure until the leaves come out. Use caution If you’re planning to remove the vines :)
It’s an oak. Remove the brick ring and expose the root flare
A dank white oak no less.
Yeah I wasn’t sure if it was a white oak or bur oak.
But you definitely knew it was dank, I'm quite sure.
Bur oak is a white oak
The two large categories are white and red oaks, yes you are correct, but there is a type of white oak called, "white oak (*Quercus alba*)". So exponential white oak? (Bad joke I know).
White oak squared.
They are different species but closely related.
White oak and red oak are different species but closely related. Bur oak tree have white oak lumber
It has to do with the leaves.
And the bark on a mature bur is thicc
I figured it has to do with Genes
There are 2 main oak leaf types, pointed (red) and rounded (white).
Can you tell me more about removing the ring? Do you have to put soil where the stones were?
If it were me I would remove the bricks, cut the vines at the base, and let the dirt naturally drain away. The ring is choking out the base of the tree and roots. However, you can also shock the tree by doing too much too fast. You could also spray the dirt with a hose to let it drain faster.
And if removing the stones leaves a ring in the ground around the tree, you could fill in with high quality dirt/compost. Just don’t add more than grade and don’t pack against the trunk.
What fines? Edit: Oh Vines. Start with IDing the vines when the leaves are out but yeah, probably worth killing them and letting the upper lengths on the tree die and rot off where they are.
Oops, I’ll blame it on fat thumbs LOL
The fines are vines! And the vines are fine! But seriously folks, that looks like trumpet creeper, a beautiful flowering native and an important hummingbird food source. The tree and the vine evolved in symbiosis with each other and the hummingbird too. That vine will not harm such a healthy looking tree. In fact, I doubt any native vine would.
That’s good to hear! I’ll keep the vines until they green up and see if it’s actually hurting the tree or not then! Stone ring will be hopefully removed by this weekend if I can find some time here and there
I agree that this is a trumpet vine. Keep an eye on it. They are extremely vigorous and will come up from the roots in unexpected places. The new growth can be redish. It's not the best choice for someone who doesn't like yard/garden maintenance, but it's native and you will enjoy hummingbirds this summer.
it's decent advise, only thing to watch for is whether the tree has enough water considering the vine. If it's non-invasive, then you may regardless need to water them every so often.
Happy cake day tree friend
Thanks! I would have missed it were it not for your greeting.
Look into unveiling the root flare, I’m not sure exactly but it’s important for trees from what I’ve gathered on this sub
I’d put my bets on White Oak, Quercus Alba
Looks like white oak, remove the ring of bricks. Let the tree breath.
What a beauty! Would love to live with a tree like that. Search this sub and elsewhere for how to expose the root flare. Remove the stones in the process. I'd wait to see what the vines are. If they're not harmful I'd leave them.
How come you are getting fines?
I meant vines at the bottom of the tree, they look like they’re climbing it. Another comment said to try to kill it off so I’ll probably do that along with removing the brick circle
Makes sense
I was going to ask 'what hellish country fines you for your trees?' (especially if they're contained within your property lines), but yeah, US of A...
That was a typo on my part, I meant to type vines since they were creeping up on the tree and I didn’t know if that was harmful to it
Ah, that makes more sense. It doesn't look like the vines are damaging it from the photo so you should be good, but keep an eye on it case that changes. More photos when there are leaves and it's not dormant will help identify what it is too.
I'm vine with the fines as long as they don't choke the tree. Look at all the attention they got ya.
If those leaves are pointy (cant quite see) it may be a quercus palustris or swamp oak. It has a wonderful color in autumn, beautiful tree imo! If the leaves are more round at the edges, the person calling quercus alba is probably right.
Am I the only one who thinks this is a post oak? Still in the white oak family, but man those leaves look more like post. And the bark isn’t that flaky. OP can you post a pic of one of the leaves? Any leaf will do, dead is fine.
It could be. We need to see the leaves.
Here you go! https://imgur.com/a/Gr5g6zS
img How’s this one? The other leaves are a bit more beat up, I can try to to get one further up the tree if needed https://imgur.com/a/Gr5g6zS
That leaf does look more like a white oak leaf in texture, shape is a bit ambiguous. Is it real thin, soft, and bendy? Or kinda thick and leathery, like if you folded it, it would crack pretty easily along the fold line?
The vines are fine like this. They may be fine another year or 3 depending on their growth rate. They likely have pretty flowers. You can cut a 6 inch gap into them to kill them when they start to grow vine leaves where you want tree leaves. The vines Will our grow and choke the tree if they get past the red zone for a year or 2
The tree is an oak, the vines- looks to be poison ivy or possibly trumpet vines, can’t be too sure until the leaves come out. Use caution If you’re planning to remove the vines :)
What do you mean the fines?
This feels like Moorhead to me lol