CAN OAKS BE AGED FROM BUD SCARS?

We assessed the ability to age post oak (Quercus stellata) and blackjack oak (Q. marilandica) reproduction less than 100 cm in height using counts of terminal bud scars. We harvested reproduction from an old-growth Cross Timbers forest in north-central Oklahoma and compared age estimates from bud scar counts with actual age determined from annual ring counts. Approximately 71% of reproduction was accurately aged by counting bud scars. The majority of errors in age estimation were underestimates. We could accurately estimate age to within 2 years of the actual age 96% of the time. Error rates were similar between species and across height classes, but increased with age of reproduction. Damage to the stem from deer browsing or disease also increased age estimation error. This method might be especially applicable to oak forests that have low levels of herbivory and where nondestructive sampling techniques are required.