Oak is a large, strong tree known for its hard wood and distinctive lobed leaves. Oaks grow slowly but can live for hundreds of years, their thick trunks and spreading branches eventually towering over forests across much of the Northern Hemisphere.

For thousands of years, people have prized oak for building ships, houses, and furniture because its wood resists rot and can support enormous weight. The timbers holding up medieval European cathedrals are often oak, still sturdy after 800 years. Many classic wooden ships had oak frames and planking. Today, oak remains valuable for furniture, flooring, and barrels used to age drinks.

Oaks produce acorns, the smooth oval nuts that squirrels busily collect each fall. A single mature oak can produce thousands of acorns in a good year, feeding wildlife from deer to blue jays. Native Americans ground acorns into flour after removing the bitter tannins.

Because of their strength and longevity, oaks often symbolize endurance and stability. England's national tree is the oak. A mighty oak standing alone in a field, its branches spread wide, can represent something that lasts while everything around it changes.