In the Northern Hemisphere, there are 600 species of oak trees, including the American white oak, the American red oak, and the trees commonly found in northern Europe, the English oak, and the oak without stems.
Of all the woods grown in Northern Europe, oak is probably the most historic, most widely used for architecture and the most cultural. Especially in the UK, it is the most common broad-leaved tree. There are ancient oak trees with a lifespan of 800 years, and for oak trees, a lifespan of more than 300 years is common. Oak trees usually do not begin to grow until after the age of 40, usually at the age of 80 to 120.
Red oak planks used to make stairs
According to records, oak was used in architecture in Germany 9,000 years ago and in Ireland 7,000 years ago. Oak has had an important influence on architecture throughout much of Europe since the Middle Ages, and was used to make frame structures for buildings until the late 17th century. Oak was the material of choice for many families in that period to make furniture, and since then, it has been a key material for making furniture, joinery and house construction. Nowadays, the wet wood of oak is used exclusively for the frame structure of house buildings, and the dried oak is used to make furniture and barrels.
Natively grown in Northern Europe, English oak with a nodule and curved appearance
Oak was well suited for shipbuilding and remained the main material for naval warships until the advent of iron ships in the 19th century. More than 2,000 oak trees were said to have been used to craft victory, and the flagship commander of the British fleet, Horatio Nelson, led 27 warships to the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, meaning that about 54,000 trees were used to craft 27 British warships, and more than 100,000 if they included France and Spain opposite. The Victory still exists today and can be visited at the Portsmouth Historic Shipyard on the south coast of England.
Framed house made of oak
It is estimated that in the 1820s, more than 90,000 tons of oak bark, or more than 500,000 tons of oak, were cut down for tanning each year, far more than all the wood used by naval ships and merchant ships combined.