The Oak Project

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus): This brilliantly coloured 21cm (8.3in) woodpecker species is native to forested areas with oaks from south west USA to Colombia. Remarkable photo by Jay Spring taken in Orange, California, USA. For more of Jay's shots see: www.springphotos.net #woodpecker

Catalpa Tree is TWISTED. Parthenon in the background.

There is a tree in Nashville that I'm pretty sure was pulled up into a tornado when it was a sapling, but it had strong roots and it survived. I visit it every time I'm at Centennial Park. When I first moved here, it was barely taller than me, and now it's an adult!

#BlueSkyArtShow prompt today is #Relax
Hope that you have a relaxing Saturday
Nature photo day 264
#nature #photography #outside #eastcoastkin #photooftheday #peace #blackandwhite #monochrome #photographersofbluesky #landscape #trees

A trip to Pala Thursday yielded 516 viable acorns for propagation. Much thanks to Phil, one of The Oak Project’s biggest donors and supporters. The acorns were from coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia); scrub oaks (pictured, Quercus berberidifolia); and Englemanns (Quercus engelmanni). #oaks #trees

A swan in a Kent river

I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it

Shakespeare

Join Tree San Diego Saturday at Kellogg Park in La Jolla for the annual Walter Munk Day celebration. The event raises awareness of the fragility of our oceans and showcases Kumeyaay heritage and culture. Stop by TSD's table to hear about what we're doing in the community. 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. #trees

Kate Marianchild's "Secrets of the Oak Woodlands" examines the plants and animals that rely on this keystone species. The Oak Project's focus is restoring populations of Southern California's native oaks, preserving the woodlands' beauty and wonder for future generations. #trees #oaks

Square format black & white photo. The trunks of old oak trees form the shape of a human heart with its chambers.

"Heart of Oak" for #TreeTuesday

Coast Live Oaks trunks appear to form the shape of a human heart with its chambers. Photographed at Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, San Diego, California.

alexander-kunz.pixels.com/featured/hea...

#BlackAndWhite #Trees #SanDiego #CoastLiveOak #NaturePhotography

Oak Project founder Jim Crouch says this could be an early year for acorns. If you have some to donate for our re-oak efforts (we’re hoping to raise and distribute 20,000 seedlings next year), contact Jim at @jbobyak2@gmail.com

Foggy days make every corner feels like your stepping into a whole new world.
Have a great #forestFriday
Nature photo day 249
#nature #photography #photooftheday #trail #hiking #outside #fog #eastcoastkin #landscape #blueskyphotography

There are flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings out for the mountains and deserts of Southern California. Between 1 inch and 2 inches have fallen in some spots, and another half inch is possible. #CAwx #sandiegoweather

Our goal is to plant 20,000 oak seedlings in 2026. Donations, of acorns or money, will help us meet our target. It cost roughly $1.75 to raise each seedling. Contact Jim Crouch at jbobyak2@gmail.com to give what you can and help repopulate native oaks in Southern California. #oaks #trees

Our next Tree Trek (neighborhood walk) is Saturday at 10 a.m. at Colina Del Sol Park in City Heights. Learn tree ID and local programs from certified arborists as we walk the neighborhood. #trees

Tree San Diego’s first-ever Plant-A-Thon is near!
Our goal is to plant & distribute 1,000 trees in 10 weeks. We kick things off Oct. 10 in National City.
The initiative spans San Diego County, bringing trees to neighborhoods that need them the most. Details: www.treesandiego.org/plantathon #trees

An oak seedling

Trees are our guardians, our bastion against catastrophe

Without trees we are defenceless against increased carbon

It is incomprehensible that any mature tree is allowed to be killed

It is like eliminating your own army 🌳🌲

This massive oak near Santa Ysabel is likely more than 100 years old. Coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) & Engelmann oaks (Quercus engelmannii) can live more than 250 years. The photo is by The Oak Project founder Jim Crouch, who is dedicated to bringing native oaks back to So. Cal. #trees #oaks

Fall, details later. 🍂

When it comes to dropped leaves, I’ll back our jacarandas against your oaks. Tiny leaves about 1/4 inch by 1/16 inch. Almost all drop every year. Jam every gutter

But the oaks will win on increasing habitats

Besides serving as habitat for scores of insect, bird and mammal species, oaks contribute to soil health and water conservation. A mature oak can drop as many as 70,000 leaves a year, adding organic nutrients to the soil. #trees #oaks

Our forests are in danger – speak out against repealing the “roadless rule”! Send a message today urging the Trump administration not to strip our forests of vital protections by repealing the Roadless Rule!

The Trump administration's proposed repeal of the "roadless rule" threatens America's national forests and the wildlife that live within them: act.defenders.org/page/87068/a... #trees

Oak Project founder Jim Crouch says the next generations of Crouches (below) are his motivation. They, and all of us, will benefit from restoring native oaks in Southern California. Oaks are a keystone species vital to countless animals and organisms. Email Jim to join his effort. #oaks #trees

Freshwater ecosystems are dynamic and interconnected—yet conservation has typically prioritized conventional land protection, sometimes even stopping at the water’s edge.

Durable freshwater protection changes that.

Learn more here: https://nature.ly/4oY35jW

This #ForestFriday photo of a native California oak tree growing sideways shows their hardy resistance to gravity. Amazing trees!
#naturephotography #forest #treemagic #nativeplants #gravity

Jacaranda, black locust, London plane: Common street trees show surprising resilience to growing heat in Australia As Australian cities heat up and dry out, street trees are emerging as frontline defenders of urban livability.

Several trees, including jacarandas, which are common on the streets of San Diego, are proving resilient to increasing heat in Australia. phys.org/news/2025-06... #trees

Opinion: Cuts in federal funding hammer STEM students and San Diego region This year’s federal funding cuts are severely impacting STEM research and education, threatening the future of innovation and our nation’s health and technological advancement. These cuts hav…

www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/08/04/o...

To clarify:

This is entirely normal. Trees have evolved to drop leaves to reduce water intake, and have been doing so for hundreds of thousands of years. The trees are not in danger, unless it never rains again

Thousands of leaves on the ground in August

This is not Autumn. This is drought distress in Islington, London

Trees shed leaves to reduce water intake. It’s happening all over England

Two books that shaped my thinking! Carbon sequestration and keystone species are great things about oaks.

May I use your photo, please? We’re expanding the Oak Project tenfold. BlueSky account is brand new. We’re working on a website also. The goal is to increase from this years donations if 2,000 Engelmann seedlings to 20,000 native oak seedlings in 2026. Eye catching photos like yours will help.