Silviculture

Red oak should be planted at densities similar to native oaks if timber production is a management objective, i.e. a minimum of 3100 stems per hectare for new planting and 2500 for restocking.

With good establishment practice initial growth can be rapid and it will establish quickly.

The species is intermediate in shade tolerance when young, but loses tolerance quickly and is a light demander when semi-mature.  It will produce seed at 20-25 years (40-50 years reliably) under the right conditions and will naturally regenerate, but seedlings are unlikely to survive under a full canopy.

Epicormic branches are not considered an issue with red oak and the crowns will respond well to thinning. Management should select 100 future crop trees per hectare early in the life of the crop and then apply crown thinning to ensure rapid diameter increment of the selected trees. Using this approach should produce a target 60 cm DBH in 70-90 years depending on site quality.

Red oak typically out-performs native oaks by one or two yield classes on dry sandy soils with GYC 6-8 typical, and occasionally GYC 10 after 40-75 years. The species coppices readily with good light and when protected from browsing; anecdotal observations would suggest growth similar to sweet chestnut on appropriate sites.