oak on top of a mountain

studdlymurphy

Hey all,
Would an oak tree survive planting on top of a mountain? Possibly 600 metres no real sourounding trees. I could fence it off to help from dear.
Thanks

tabby aspreme

If the soil was good they might if planted with a hardy nurse species to shelter them till they get established, you could ask your local Teagasc forester for advice, they don't charge

studdlymurphy

tabby aspreme wrote:

If the soil was good they might if planted with a hardy nurse species to shelter them till they get established, you could ask your local Teagasc forester for advice, they don't charge

Thanks, what would a hardy nurse species be? Some sort of spruce?

tabby aspreme

Larch would have been planted along with oak for shelter in the past , again it's something a Forrester would advise on

timfromtang

studdlymurphy wrote: »

Hey all,
Would an oak tree survive planting on top of a mountain? Possibly 600 metres no real sourounding trees. I could fence it off to help from dear.
Thanks

If 600 metres is locally above the tree line, then likely not, I had a quick google but i do not easily find good information on this.

The height of the tree line is a local thing, microclimates, shelter, aspect etc, all have an influence.

I'd say its worth giving it a go, plant some shelter for the young tree if possible, whats the soil like? perhaps build a stone wall around the planting site, and plant within a clade (group of species that like to grow together) of plants to support your baby oak, to discover these species it is simply a matter of looking for an oak in as similar a situation as you can find to your planting site, and observing which species are happily growing with it. Some nitrogen fixers may help, some soil improvement may also help, perhaps add some activated biochar to the soil on the planting site, to increase the available store of mycology, microbiology, nutrients, and real estate for small soil life. Biochar also provides soils with an increased tolerance to extremes, more drought resistant etc. As other posters have suggested, planting a nurse species alongside may help. Is there any gorse growing nearby?
Without more detailed information on the site it is hard to say whether success is likely or not.

tim

Oldtree

Might be a bit harsh for an oak but I'm for giving it a go too.

Is there a specific reason you want your go with an oak? Somthing like a Scots pine might have a better chance. I like the idea of nursing with gorse but would attend to it annualy to ensure it hasn't overcome your tree.

Maby if you could fence off a larger area you could try a variety of trees and hedge your bets and as mentioned a stone wall would last a long time.

If you can fence an area off then also attach a wind break green plastic mesh to the outdide of the fence with loads of plastic ties. This will augment the nursing plants/trees idea.

I wouldnt be inclined to mess with the soil too much, or fertilise, as it is a harsh environment that the tree will have to learn to live in, and fertilising it will just lead to softer growth more prone to damage. The soil will have trouble at that height re-coagulating so less digging is more. Maby slit planting would be best, with small plants about 40- 50 cm and a good firming in, perhaps without support staking.

What are the nearest trees/shrubs? At what height do they peter out?

What is the aspect of the proposed planting spot?

studdlymurphy

Thanks for all the help. My idea is to plant an oak at the peak of a mountain. A single oak. So with your nursing idea I would plant nursing trees around it for the first few years until it was established and then remote the nurse trees bit by bit I guess. I would live the look of the hill with a single oak on top. Am I mad?

The nearest tree is probably 100m away not in altitilude but in distance. Hoping to go at it in the next few weeks there is a few rocks so I will try to use them as some shelter also and a fence with wind break. It's not the most easily accessible site so getting items there will be a task in it self as it will all be hand carried by yours truly.

ganmo

The main problem will be deer, if the young tree isn't protected from them it won't see it's second winter

Oldtree

studdlymurphy wrote: »

I would love the look of the hill with a single oak on top. Am I mad?

Frankly... Yes but we are all a few chips short of a block here.

It's a fantastic idea and a very interesting challenge. I hope you will do us the favor of before, during and update pictures.

studdlymurphy wrote: »

The nearest tree is probably 100m away not in altitilude but in distance.

What is growing at 600 meters in what I imagine to be a very desolate and open spot?

Meanwhile some inspirational material for you

greysides

The tall stately Oak tree you see in park land isn't going to grow in a mountain setting. The wind will shape the tree. I see one locally in a ditch on the side of a hill. Its an old tree but its the shape of an umbrella as the wind chill has stunted its upward spread.