City Trees

September/October 2013

City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!

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TREE OF MERIT Skymaster English Oak (Quercus robur 'Skymaster') English Oak leaves and fruits • Photo by Robert Vidéki, Doroniucm Kft., Bugwood.org Quercus robur 'Skymaster' is a phenomenal tree. Skymaster English oak has a strong central leader and upward sweeping branches, giving it an oval shape that is more amenable to street use. Don't mistake Skymaster for Skyrocket English oak. Skyrocket is a narrower cultivar with multiple leaders that can break under snow loads, something Skymaster is not prone to. Another claim to fame is Skymaster's resistance to powdery mildew. Susceptibility to powdery mildew is almost an ID feature on most English oaks. I have seen the straight species understock English oak grow out and look white with powdery mildew while the scion, Skymaster, was clean and green. English oak is hardy to Zone 5b, maybe 5a. Skymaster grows moderately fast once it gets over transplanting stress. On a good site it can grow to 50 feet (15 m) with a 25 foot (8 m) spread, although it is less likely to reach these dimensions on a street location. Like other English oaks, Skymaster doesn't like poor drainage, but it is quite drought tolerant once established. It is tolerant of alkaline or acid soils and should be transplanted B&B. It is in the middle among the oaks for transplanting ease, with swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) being easy and bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) and white oak (Quercus alba) being difficult. 'Skymaster' English Oak on Ithaca City streets • Photo by Nina Bassuk 38 —Nina Bassuk, Director of Urban Horticulture Institute, Cornell University City Trees

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