Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) COSEWIC update status report: chapter 7
Population Sizes and Trends
Thorough inventories have not been undertaken to determine the full extent and distribution of Shumard Oak within southwestern Ontario, however, several people have searched the five known counties/regional municipalities at various times and recorded tree size and numbers of trees. Most sites consist of single, relic trees along fencerows or in fields. Regeneration is reported at some sites where the oak occurs in woods or occasionally in open fields. Fencerow trees are sometimes cut down during fenceline brushing operations, but the oak is able to re-sprout from the base and thus at least persist at such locations. There are presently only about 40 records of occurrences with the total number of trees likely being <<1000 and may not even exceed 250.
Essex County
The original status report documented 13 specimen-based localities and 15 localities based on sight records that together showed a fairly widespread distribution in the county. When abundance information was recorded most sites consisted of a single relic tree (Waldron et al., 1987). Since that time, there have been six new specimen records, two of which fill out the range in the southeast portion of the county (Oldham, 1998). Abundance information was only recorded for three of the sites: one consisted of only a single tree, several trees occurred at a second site and at the third site, Shumard Oak was a dominant tree along a fencerow (Oldham, 1998). Morsink & Pratt (1984) estimate that there may be 500 scattered Shumard Oak trees in Essex County. Some of these trees however, may be hybrids (Morsink & Pratt, 1984).
Kent County
Five sightings were originally reported in the southwestern portion of the county. Since then, there has been one new specimen record from the same general area (Oldham, 1998). Several trees occur here in the Wilson Conservation Area. There are also several trees across the road just outside the Conservation Area.
Elgin County
A specimen record had been reported from the southwest comer of the county, however no such record is listed in Waldron et al. (1987). There is a new specimen record (1993) from the West Elgin Natural Area Complex that is near the mapped record in the status report (Oldham, 1998). There is no abundance information for this site.
Niagara Regional Municipality
No records are shown from this area in the original status report. Waldron et al. (1987) show two locations and there are two additional sites in the NHIC database (Oldham, 1998). Only one site has abundance information and the oak at that site is "locally common" (Waldron et al., 1987).
Lambton County
The original status report did not report any records from this county. Waldron et al. (1987) show four locations and there is one additional site in the NHIC database. Two sites consist of a single tree; at one site the oak is "locally frequent; one site has "just a few trees"; and one site lacks abundance information.
Detailed site information has been provided to the Co-chair of the Species Specialist Committee for Plants and Lichens (COSEWIC).
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