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Northern Red Oak (Bundle of 3) | Spring 2027
$99.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceResists 1 of 2
- 5 Bur oak blight : Highly resistant, 5 of 5
- 1 Oak wilt : Highly susceptible, 1 of 5
Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.
See it on our native and shade tree disease chart (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Oak, Northern Red is an oak tree rated hardy to zone 3 in our ratings (winters to -40°F), and wind-pollinated.
| Hardy to | Zone 3 to 8. A bare number means the whole of zone 3, colder half included (winters to -40°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
|---|---|
| Chill hours | About 800 hours (400 to 1,200). Our estimate. No published figure exists for this variety yet. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources. |
| Pollination | Wind-Pollinated. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), late spring here. Northern red oak is wind-pollinated, so plant the three seedlings together for the best acorn crops (acorns take two seasons to ripen). It is a wildlife tree rather than a bee plant and is not an orchard pollenizer. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Pollination Charts. |
| Good for | Wood (9/10), feeding wildlife (8/10), shade (8/10), ornamental value (7/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| Deer | Sometimes damaged by deer. |
| What you get | Bare root, 3-4 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
Northern Red Oak is an oak native to the eastern deciduous forest. Living up to 400 years, Red Oak has been an important timber species, as it is often used in flooring, furniture, interior trim, and veneer. The acorns can be collected in the Fall, shelled, tied up in a cloth and leached in water to remove bitterness. They can then be turned into a flour. Hardy to zone 3.
These trees are 3-4 ft. with good, developed root systems.
Questions we get about Oak, Northern Red
How cold hardy is Oak, Northern Red?
We rate Oak, Northern Red hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.
How many chill hours does Oak, Northern Red need?
About 800 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 400 and 1,200. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Oaks leaf out late in spring. Any northern winter fully satisfies their chill, so slow leaf-out on new trees is normal. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.
What is Oak, Northern Red good for?
Our top use scores for Oak, Northern Red are wood (9/10), feeding wildlife (8/10), shade (8/10), ornamental value (7/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
Is Northern Red Oak disease resistant?
For some diseases, yes. It's highly resistant to bur oak blight. It's very prone to oak wilt. Our native and shade tree disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.
Will deer eat Oak, Northern Red?
Sometimes. Deer browse Oak, Northern Red now and then, so protect young plants where deer pressure is high.
What arrives, and when does Oak, Northern Red ship?
A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 3-4 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.