Lately I have been helping with some prescribed burning in the oak forests and prairie restorations of central Illinois. The tree best adapted to survive these fires and my all-time favorite tree is bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa). Most individuals have a little bit of corky-winged armor on their twigs and small branches, but a bur oak on my parents property has the armor that I have ever seen. Only the very tips of the twigs are exposed to the elements the rest of the twig is protected with heavy armor increasing the diameter of the twig from .5cm to as much as 2.5cm. This tree should have no problem shrugging off any prescribed fire that ecologists throw at it for many years to come.
See more at www.buroakbotanicals.blogspot.com
