Ryan Russell's blog

I recently went on a scouting trip to Mississippi to plan for an upcoming Oak Open Day. I had been there two years earlier and that is when I got the idea for a tour. I met my good friend Dudley Phelps, who runs Mossy Oak’s Nativ Nursery, and we grafted some of their special hybrid oaks. These oaks have been hand selected by the Nativ Nursery staff for their wildlife benefits such as early or late dropping acorns, or especially heavy masting trees.

The IOS has been approved again as the International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for Quercus. The registrar duties have been divided between Ryan Russell who will take care of selections found in the Americas, and Eike Jablonski who will take care of selections found outside of the Americas. This will help ease the individual workload and has been approved by International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS).

In the heart of the Mid-west grows a monster. McBaine, Missouri is home to the state champion Q. macrocarpa. Standing more than 90 feet with a spread of 130 feet and a circumference of 23 feet, it is truly a giant. This giant is estimated to be somewhere in the area of 350 to 450 years old (no core samples have been taken). Not only is this tree the current state champion, but shares national co-champion status along with the Kentucky and Michigan state champions.