20 cool facts about oak wood

In olden times oak leaves, bark and acorns were used to treat ailments like diarrhoea, inflammation and kidney stones.

The Bowthorpe Oak in Lincolnshire has the biggest girth of any English Oak. It’s hollow, there’s enough room for 20 people inside and it’s around 1000 years old.

The River Severn’s ancient Oak breakwaters, still used today, were originally set by the Romans.

Woodpeckers bury acorns, storing them for winter. They’re also eaten by jays and squirrels, and are a rich food source for British wildlife.

Oak’s Latin name, Quercus robur, means ‘strength’.

King Charles the Second famously hid from his pursuers in an Oak tree at Boscobel House.

The Oak’s open canopy means forest-floor flowers like bluebells can thrive beneath.

An oak tree can shorten itself in response to the ageing process in an effort to live longer.

Oaks support more wildlife forms than any other native tree, including more than 280 kinds of insect.

The Oak has been a national symbol of strength and survival for centuries.

In prehistoric times, humans used to make flour from acorns.

Bats love to roost in old woodpecker holes in Oak trees.

Often the tallest things in a landscape, Oaks are frequently hit by lightning.

The Oak was sacred to the Greek god Zeus, the Roman god Jupiter and the Celtic god Dagda.

Loving couples were married under ancient Oak trees during Oliver Cromwell’s time.

There’s an Oak on the 1987 pound coin.

Britain’s Oak trees are threatened by several pests and pathogens, including the Oak processionary moth, a foreign pest. The moth’s hairs are poisonous and if you breathe them in, you might suffer from itching and respiratory problems.

Mistletoe lives on Oak branches.

Acute Oak decline (AOD) and chronic Oak decline (COD) are two more serious threats to Britain’s Oak trees.

For more information about our wonderful national tree, explore the excellent BBC Nature web pages.