The king of the forest
- Jen Blaxall.
- Oct 14
- 4 min read
The oak tree is often referred to as the king of the forest, standing majestically among other woodland trees with its ancient wisdom. In the New Forest, the most prevalent oaks are the English Oak, the Sessile Oak, and the Turkey Oak, although the Turkey Oak was introduced as an non-native tree and is removed by Forestry England when possible. The simplest way to distinguish between the English oak and the Sessile oak is by their acorns. English oak acorns grow on individual stalks, while Sessile oak acorns grow directly attached to the same stalk at the base.
In the New Forest, some English and Sessile oaks hybridise, and even if you don't identify the Turkey Oak by its thinner leaves and hairy acorns, peculiar-looking acorns indicate their presence.
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