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Editor's Picks

Past IOS President Allen Coombes, Curator of Scientific Collections at Puebla University Botanic Garden, discusses leaf variability in Quercus ceirpes (still image from the documentary)
"Oaks: the Backbone of Mexico" – New Documentary Film
A new documentary by Maricela Rodríguez Acosta
Website Editor | Feb 17, 2026
Quercus miyagii acorn and dried leaves
In Search of Quercus miyagii: A Field Report from Okinawa
A rare oak endemic to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan
Elion Jam | Feb 16, 2026
A moss-covered oak (Quercus orocantabrica) in Mata de Albergaria, Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal © Amit Zoran
Amit Zohran's "Oakollective"
Steve Potter reviews a new book that features oaks
Steve Potter | Feb 11, 2026

Plant Focus

Quercus canariensis in Cornwall Park, Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand, the champion specimen in New Zealand, planted in the 1920s, 27.2 m tall with a trunk diameter of 209 cm (G. Collett pers. comm. 2026) © Gerald Collett
Species Spotlight: Quercus canariensis Willd.
Antonio Lambe shares his views on this threatened oak native to Iberia and North Africa
Read more

French Oak Open Days 2024

Event Date: 
Saturday, 8 June 2024 to Tuesday, 11 June 2024

 

Four phenomenal oak collections in as many days in a jaunt around southwestern France (plus an optional hop into northeastern Spain)

 

View of North American Oaks
A view of the North American section at Arboretum des Pouyouleix © Béatrice Chassé

The French Oak Open Days 2024 will kick off on Saturday, June 8, with a Quercus Study Day at Arboretum des Pouyouleix, organized in conjunction with the International Dendrology Society. Following a presentation on the genus focused on oak identification, Béatrice Chassé, former IOS President and long-time Editor of International Oaks, the IOS Journal, will show us the world-class collection of oaks she has created with Gérard Lionet, started in 2003 and recognized in 2012 as a National Collection of oaks by the Conservatoire des Collections Végétales Spécialisées (Conservatory of Specialized Plant Collections).

Oaks at Passadou
Some of the oaks at Arboretum du Passadou (clockwise from top left): Quercus laurina, Q. xalapensis, Q. acutifolia, Q. pinnativenulosa © Béatrice Chassé  

The following day we will visit Arboretum du Passadou where we will be received by owner Jean-Louis Hélardot, known to many as the creator of the Oaks of the World website.

Quercus crispipilis
Quercus crispipilis at Arboretum de la Bergerette; Cécile Souquet-Basiege provides scale © Shaun Haddock

Monday will see us at Arboretum de la Bergerette to view another National Collection for oaks, the property of former IOS President Shaun Haddock.

Quercus tarahumara
Quercus tarahumara at Arboretum de Chocha © Béatrice Chassé

Our fourth destination on Tuesday, June 11, will be Arboretum de Chocha, the National Collection for Mexican Oaks. We will be hosted by its creator Michel Duhart, recipient of an IOS Special Service Award in 2015, and his grandson Michel de Broglie, current caretaker of the collection.

Iturraran Botanical Garden
Jardín Botánico de Iturraran (Iturraran Botanical Garden) in Pagoeta Natural Park

As an optional extra, participants may wish to extend the trip by visiting the Iturraran Botanical Garden on Wednesday, June 12. If you'd like to do this, be sure to let us know when you reserve your place for the event.

The approximate locations of the arboreta we will visit can be viewed on a map here.

For further information about this event and to reserve your place, please write to tours@internationaloaksociety.org

Event Category: 
Oak Open Days