Population Growth for OKC

[Bellaboo]

Dallas has an immense population of Live Oak trees. These trees grow large and stay green (retain their leaves) through the winter, which is why they're called "live." Dallas's canopy is incredibly green compared to Oklahoma City's in the winter because of these trees. It's especially apparent in the older parts of Dallas where these trees are everywhere and quite large.

Oklahoma City does have some of these Live Oak trees present, but not to the extent that Dallas does. I'd bet the most numerous collection of these in Oklahoma are in and around Nichols Hills (check out the OKCGCC entrance for example), with the Great Plains Coca Cola bottling plant having some of the largest ones. Oklahoma City is about as far north as Live Oak trees will reliably grow, but I've noticed them in Stillwater and Tulsa too.

There are two types of these trees. The "Texas" or Fusiformis variety of Live Oaks are the hardier type, and their natural range extends into Southwest Oklahoma (around the Quartz Mountains and Wichita Mountains). They get pretty large, though not quite as large as the coastal/southeastern variety (Virginiana) that are much more famous. Dallas is full of both types of Live Oak trees. OKC still has a few Virginiana trees left, but I think there was a big freeze in the '80s that took a lot of them out.

Anyway, this is all to say that OKC could easily have a greener winter canopy if we planted more Live Oak trees. I'm a tree nerd and biased, but these are gorgeous trees. I see them all over the metro, but I don't see them as densely utilized as they are in Dallas or Texas generally. The trendy trees planted right now in new OKC developments are Baldcypress trees and Chinese Pistache, which are both deciduous. I believe they may have planted some Live Oaks outside of the new Street Car facility, probably because there are a couple of older Live Oaks right next to the old Union Depot.

You know what happens to Live Oaks in an ice storm ? There is nothing left. Probably a pretty good reason for them to be more southern.

[Isaac C. Parker]

You know what happens to Live Oaks in an ice storm ? There is nothing left. Probably a pretty good reason for them to be more southern.

Common misconception!

Live Oaks have some of the toughest wood, and the branches tend to do pretty well in ice storms. However, the fact that Live Oaks retain their leaves mean that there is increased surface area for ice to accumulate, so younger trees are more at risk.

I see local pear trees having a much, much tougher time with ice storms than Live Oaks, and are several times as prevalent.