Shake (internal splitting of the wood in a growing tree) is believed to affect and devalue around one-fifth of British oak crops. There is currently no fully reliable method to identify the defect in standing trees, or to predict vulnerable sites and stands without local knowledge and historical data. Shake may appear on any site, even those with the fewest natural hazards. The purpose of this review is to enable the riskiest sites to be identified and avoided for new planting and to help lower risk sites be managed in order to minimise their potential for shake.
