Willow oak, Quercus phellos, also known as peach oak, pin oak, and swamp chestnut oak, can sometimes be confused for a willow tree by the shape of the leaves and by location.

This oak is found in the southern United States and is medium to large, with a long life and quick growth. An average size is 80 to 120 feet in height with almost 40 inches in trunk diameter.

Humid, temperate climates are ideal for the willow oak. Long, hot summers and short, mild winters are preferred. Frost-free days are comparatively many, with a minimum of 180 to 190 days and a maximum of 300 days. Additionally, most willow oaks are exposed to 2,700 hours of sunshine annually, with humidity ranging from 50 to 70% throughout the year. Willow oaks are often found on moist alluvial soils, as well as near water, similar to typical willows. Sometimes willow oaks can be found on former floodplains, such as on old terraces, but these oaks are rarely doing well.

Willow oaks tend to do less well as clay content or potassium content increases. The best soils are fresh, undisturbed alluvium, with a pH from 4.5 to 5.5. Moisture must be present and available.

Male and female catkins are present on the same tree, making it monoecious. Flowering occurs shortly after the leaves begin to bud, from February to May. Seeds begin to appear after 20 years of age. The willow oak produces small acorns between 0.4 and 0.6 inches in length, either single or in pairs. The acorns take two years to mature to a bright color and are finally mature between August and October of the second year. Most years produces a heavy crop of acorns, which are disseminated by water and wildlife.

Heavy annual acorn production makes willow oaks good for wildlife, but this wildlife does reduce reproduction. Squirrels, birds, insects, and hogs each willow oak acorns. Fire is also a big enemy of the willow oak. Tree borers are threats as well. Additionally, acid rain has been shown to hard the foliage of the tree.

Northern red oak, Quercus rubra, is also known as common red oak, eastern red oak, mountain red oak, and grey oak.

The northern red oak typically matures to 65 to 98 feet, with 24 to 36 inches of trunk diameter.

Temperature, precipitation, and frost vary by sizable amounts. Snow alone can range from 0 to 100 inches annually, depending on location. Frost-free days can likewise change with averages of 100 to 220 days by location.

The tree grows best on moist soils, though these soils can be cool or moist. Soils can vary from clay to loamy sands, often with a high content of larger rock fragments. Deep soils are best.

Although the northern red oak can be found at many elevations, low to middle slopes with northern or eastern aspects are ideal, as well as well-drained valley floors and deep ravines.

Northern red oak is monoecious, meaning male and female parts are found on the same tree. The flowers are often long, dangling greenish catkins that appear with or before the leaves in April or May. The resulting fruit is an acorn, found alone or in clusters of two to five.  An acorn takes two years to fully mature, and the brown acorns are then usually ripe by late August to late October. Fruit can be born at age 25 but seeds are not abundant until age 50, with the best seed crops occurring every two to five years. However, only approximately 1% of acorns can actually be used for a new seedling. In the end, it can take over 500 acorns to produce a natural seedling. Much of the issue lies in the consumption by animals such as insects, squirrels, deer, birds, and more.

This tree is often found surrounded by the same species, and an acorn never falls far from the tree. Dispersal beyond that is driven by squirrels. Furthermore, northern red oaks are often produced through sprouts from cut trunks. Sprout size depends on the size of the trunk.

Northern red oak is shade tolerant, though not as much as many other common species. Wildfires are a concern, as fire-weakened trees can easily be overtaken by fungi. Oak wilt is a disease that can kill a northern red oak the year the tree contracts the disease.

It is one of the most important red oaks for lumber, due to its growing speed. Growth rates can reach 0.4 inches per year. Additionally, the bright fall colors and symmetrical shape make this tree ornamentally attractive.