2024 Best Oak Tree: A Majestic Oak Tree

Officially recognized as the national tree of the United States since 2004, the oak tree is a “keystone species,” meaning if oak trees weren’t around, then other plants and animals might not be around, either. Oak trees support more life-forms, including fungi, insects, birds and mammals, than any other North American tree genus.

View of the oak tree looking from the ground up taken by IversonRight in their neighbor’s backyard, just a short walk away from York Park, Edina residents Kathy Iverson and Mike Menzel have an up-close look at a “majestic” white oak tree and the many species that live within it.

“The oak tree has space for migrating birds and caterpillars. I can look at multiple species of migrating warblers in the oak tree,” Iverson said.

For many wild animals, acorns are a substantial food source, especially in the fall and winter months. Luckily, oak trees drop a lot of acorns every season­ —oftentimes over 1,000 in one year. Over 100 U.S. vertebrae species eat acorns, such as deer, squirrels, chipmunks and even wild turkey.

“Trees are key to supporting other species and reducing carbon in our atmosphere, so they’re pretty important to the amount of carbon we take in,” said Iverson.

After learning about the Energy & Environment Commission’s 2024 Tree Recognition Campaign in a City Extra email, Iverson decided to nominate her neighbor’s oak tree, which went on to win the Best Oak Tree award in the 2024 campaign.

Iverson and Menzel stand next to the white oak tree in their neighbor's backyard“It is so incredibly majestic,” said Iverson. “It shades two homes, so it’s very cooling in the summer.”

For the 36 years they’ve lived in their home, Iverson and Menzel have been able to watch the tree grow -- and grow it has. Awhile back, the tree was heavily pruned­, which involved selectively removing branches to improve the tree’s health, structure and appearance, and the work has greatly benefited the tree. Now, the tree sprawls above the roofs surrounding it, providing shade across three houses.

Depending on the species, oak trees can grow anywhere between one and three feet per year throughout their lifetime, and they grow the fastest in the first 10 to 15 years of their life. On average, oak trees live for 150-250 years, but the oldest known oak trees have lived over 1,000 years. When Iverson and Menzel’s neighbors remodeled, they made an effort to preserve the trees on their property, ensuring many more years with the majestic oak tree.

If you know of any other majestic oak trees or a tree that you think deserves special recognition, you can nominate it for the 2025 Tree Recognition Campaign until Oct. 15 using the Tree Nomination Form.

“With redevelopments happing, the opportunity to preserve trees is great,” said Iverson. “It takes many, many years to reach the size of this one.”