Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) COSEWIC update status report: chapter 8

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Limiting Factors and Threats

Many of the sites of Shumard Oak occur in fencerows, fields, or along roads. Such isolated trees are at risk from fencerow brushing and field clearing. Large forest-grown trees are at risk from logging. Potential habitat for Shumard Oak, other than along fencerows and roadsides, is quite limited due to its occurrence in counties that have such limited forest cover due to past clearing for agriculture. The largest number of Shumard Oak sites occur in Essex County that has less than 3% of its forests intact (Waldron et al., 1987). Fencerows are sometimes removed completely in order to create larger fields for more efficient farming and this removes habitat for Shumard Oak (Waldron, 1984).

Shumard Oak is a large and conspicuous tree that is very similar to other members of the Red Oak/Black Oak group, such as Red Oak (Quercus rubra), Black Oak (Quercus velutina), Pin Oak (Quercus palustris), and Hill's Oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis). This similarity could cause Shumard Oak to be overlooked and inadvertently cut down as a more common species.