Acorns are a masterpiece of evolution, inside it contains all the genetic code to produce a beautiful Oak tree. It is also packed with food and provides protection from the elements.
The number of acorns an oak tree produces varies from year to year. Every five to ten years Oaks have a “Mast” year and produce a deluge of acorns which increases the chances of one acorn surviving and germinating.
Success of the oak is largely dependent on the animals that help disperse its acorns. One species in the last 300 years which has been partially helpful, the human.
In the 18th and early 19th century there was a frenzy of oak planting in Great Britain. In just six years it was reported that one military officer planted a staggering 922,000 oaks. The reason for this surge in planting was that Great Britain had the world’s most powerful navy and nearly all the of her ships were made of oak.
HMS Victory famous for defeating the French fleet at The Battle of Trafalgar was a product of of almost 6,000 oak trees, beautifully crafted by some of Britain’s finest ship builders. This vessel and thousands like it was the reason for the huge demand of oak.
For the crew of HMS Victory they were surrounded by oak, it encased them, and kept them alive. It was an oak hull that cradled Lord Nelson as he bled to death.
The way oaks live and the battles they face in the natural world is what makes this species so prized for ship building and construction.
By planting and cultivating oaks, humans have been able to travel between continents and spread our species to almost every corner of the planet overcoming even the most treacherous of oceans.
“Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow”
SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL. SIMPLY NATURAL. SIMPLY OAK.
