northern red oak

Quercus rubra · Fagaceae · all Quercus records · also called Red oak · syn. Quercus borealis · Wikipedia

Fire-resistant. Recommended by 4 independent evidence lineages with no objection on record across 91 cited sources. This status is computed from the cited evidence by the published rule, never hand-assigned. The page keeps its cited source rows visible for readers and separates each evidence channel from the computed result on this record.

▲ the PNW-590 regional list ▲ the Eastern US Fire Performance Plant Selector ▲ North Carolina's Bardon 2005 list ▲ Michigan's E2948 list ◆ the Idaho Firewise field scores · fire-tested

Computed class: Fire-resistant (consensus) — derived from the cited evidence by a published rule, never hand-assigned. Each chip above is one independent primary-evidence lineage and its direction. No plant is fireproof; condition and placement govern. Zone 0 is hardscape regardless.

View Saved

Is this one for your yard?

Enter your ZIP to see whether this is legal to plant in your state, and whether it survives your winter.

Form: tree
Mature height: ~81 ft
Water need: moderate
Rated in: British Columbia; Global; Maine; Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia +12

On this lot

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence: Fire-resistant — location does not change the cited classification.
Fire-performance conditions: 2 conditions stated in cited fire-evidence rows.
Fire ecology context
Placement evidence: 8 source placement records; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions: British Columbia; Global; Maine; Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia; Michigan / Great Lakes; NC; North Carolina; North Carolina / southeastern US; OR/WA/ID; Ohio / Midwest; Oregon; Pacific Northwest (Oregon / Washington / Idaho); Virginia / Mid-Atlantic; eastern US; eastern WA; southern Idaho / Intermountain
Maintenance

Typed publication scope: 11 scopes across 9 cited fire sources

Fire Resistance of Plants Master Database · Official scoped edition
- Southern Idaho (ID footprint); partial normalized coverage · 2013-11-08
  The official database labels itself "For Southern Idaho" and describes Idaho residents at the urban-rangeland interface. FireApproved publishes 419 existing plant owners that cite its scored rows. This bounded Southern Idaho scope is regional context, not statewide coverage or a conclusion that the score transfers unchanged to every Idaho site.
Firewise Landscaping Plants (Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia editions) · Official scoped edition
- MD; partial normalized coverage · 2015-01-08
  Maryland Forest Service says the list contains plants that can be grown in Maryland and identifies Maryland natives. FireApproved publishes 169 exact source owners from the 180 printed rows; an unrepresentable form and duplicate-owner rows are not broadened. The list calls itself non-comprehensive and does not establish suitability for every Maryland site.
- NJ; partial normalized coverage
  New Jersey DEP publishes a state edition saying the listed plants can be grown in New Jersey and are relatively resistant to fire. Its same 180 printed taxon occurrences map to the 169 conservative owners already normalized for the template family. The list is non-comprehensive and does not establish suitability for every New Jersey site or override the Pinelands Commission's separate placement and fuel-break rules.
- WV; partial normalized coverage · 2026-08-26
  West Virginia Division of Forestry publishes a state edition saying the listed plants can be grown in West Virginia and are relatively resistant to fire. Its same 180 printed taxon occurrences map to the 169 conservative owners already normalized for the template family. The list is non-comprehensive and provides no comparative or site-specific rating.
Maine fire-resistant plant list · Official scoped edition
- ME; partial normalized coverage · 2013-10-23
  Maine Forest Service presents a partial list for landscaping 30-100 feet from a structure. FireApproved publishes only 39 unique exact current/accepted matches plus Rhus typhina from the source's explicit parenthetical; unresolved, abbreviated, misspelled, absent, and duplicate-owner rows remain held.
Wildfire-resistant Landscape Plants for Michigan (Extension Bulletin E2948) · Official scoped edition
- MI; partial normalized coverage · 2007-01-01
  Michigan State University Extension Bulletin E2948 is explicitly a list of wildfire-resistant landscape plants for Michigan and includes a Michigan-native field. FireApproved publishes 221 exact GBIF owners from 226 represented source rows and holds 15 complex or non-exact rows. This dated publication scope is not a current site-suitability determination.
Fire-Resistant Landscaping in North Carolina (AG-874) · Official scoped edition
- NC; complete normalized coverage · 2025-03-26
  The complete three-table AG-874 plant list is explicitly for North Carolina and contains 202 low-, medium-, or high-flammability rows. FireApproved accounts for all source rows under its strict taxonomy and lineage rules; source scope does not establish local suitability at a particular North Carolina site.
Firewise Landscaping (OSU Extension Bulletin 921) · Official scoped edition
- OH; partial normalized coverage · 2006-03-01
  Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 921 is an Ohio publication that describes Ohio fire seasons and landscape conditions and labels nativity to Ohio. FireApproved publishes 352 exact source-owning plant records from its eight rated tables. This historical publication scope does not assert current extension endorsement or that a listed plant suits every Ohio site.
Fire-Resistant Plants for Home Landscapes (PNW 590) · Official scoped edition
- ID, OR, WA; partial normalized coverage · 2023-10-01
  The October 2023 joint Pacific Northwest Extension publication explicitly names Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and publishes more than 150 plant profiles. FireApproved has normalized 155 exact plant records from the source; publication scope does not assert that every listed plant suits every site within the three states.
Virginia Firescapes — Firewise Landscaping for Woodland Homes (430-300) · Official scoped edition
- VA; partial normalized coverage · 2009-04-15
  Virginia Cooperative Extension's publication opens with Virginia wildfire conditions, identifies its Virginia Firewise Landscaping Task Force, and labels plants native to Virginia. FireApproved publishes 306 exact source owners. Publication scope does not establish parcel suitability or current endorsement of this archived 2009 list.
Fire-Resistant Plants for Eastern Washington · Official scoped edition
- Eastern Washington (WA footprint); partial normalized coverage
  Washington DNR publishes the guide for Eastern Washington and says it compiles plants from other Firewise documents that are likely to thrive there. FireApproved publishes 46 exact owners only as eastern Washington context. The rows are corroborative, not empirical or statewide.

2. Why this plant is relevant here

State distribution: Documented in AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV.
Native range: Current cited native range in AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV.
Introduced / established
USDA hardiness: 3 applicable cited hardiness statements overlap but have different boundaries; compare each complete source row.

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

Legal-list status
Seed-list status
Reported invasive here
Broader regional context
Federal context

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

Native and introduced range evidence

These are exact U.S. botanical-area records from the cited range source. Native and introduced describe biogeographic relationship, not fire performance or planting approval. Doubtful and extinct rows stay visible but do not count as current presence.

Current native

34

exact source areas

Current introduced

0

exact source areas

Qualified

0

doubtful or extinct source rows

34 native source areas · World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16 v16, as of 2026-06-04

Alabama (AL)
Arkansas (AR)
Connecticut (CT)
District of Columbia (DC)
Delaware (DE)
Georgia (GA)
Iowa (IA)
Illinois (IL)
Indiana (IN)
Kansas (KS)
Kentucky (KY)
Louisiana (LA)
Massachusetts (MA)
Maryland (MD)
Maine (ME)
Michigan (MI)
Minnesota (MN)
Missouri (MO)
Mississippi (MS)
North Carolina (NC)
Nebraska (NE)
New Hampshire (NH)
New Jersey (NJ)
New York (NY)
Ohio (OH)
Oklahoma (OK)
Pennsylvania (PA)
Rhode I. (RI)
South Carolina (SC)
Tennessee (TN)
Virginia (VA)
Vermont (VT)
Wisconsin (WI)
West Virginia (WV)

The lossless worldwide derivative is retained once in the research corpus; object pages repeat only exact U.S. areas needed by the local lens. The JSON twin carries the same page assertions.

Plant hardiness evidence

These values describe the plant source. Your ZIP zone comes from the separate 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Whole-zone values stay whole-zone, and a single unresolved value is not treated as a tolerance range. Different source boundaries stay separate: overlapping statements are compared independently, while only ranges with no shared zone are called a conflict.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector · record quercus-rubra · 2016-wayback · as of 2026-08-26

Source prints 4 · single-value meaning unresolved · whole zone precision · source stated

Source taxon: Quercus rubra · exact match.

Source location: Cold Hardiness Zone field in the recovered selector record.

Not used for comparison: The recovered selector prints one Cold Hardiness Zone value but does not define it as a minimum threshold or a one-zone range.
Wildfire-resistant Landscape Plants for Michigan (Extension Bulletin E2948) · record tree:Quercus rubra · New, January 2007 · as of 2026-08-26

3–7 explicit range · whole zone precision · source stated

Source taxon: Quercus rubra · exact match.

Source location: Table 1, tree row.
Fire-Resistant Plants for Home Landscapes (PNW 590) · record trees:Red oak · 2023-10 · as of 2026-08-26

4–8 explicit range · whole zone precision · source stated

Source taxon: Quercus rubra · exact match.

Source location: Red oak profile, USDA hardiness zones field.
USDA PLANTS Database — Plant Characteristics · record QURU · PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23 · as of 2026-08-26

Minimum 3b · no upper limit documented · half zone precision · derived containing band

Exact source measurement: -35°F; mapped only to its containing half-zone.

Source taxon: Quercus rubra · source identifier match.

Source location: PlantCharacteristics record 70448, Temperature, Minimum (°F).

Conditions in the fire evidence

These describe tested or rated plant material. They are not horticultural maintenance instructions.

dead material: FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database evidence row (condition method), FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database evidence row (condition method), FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database evidence row (condition method), FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database evidence row (condition method), FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database evidence row (condition method)
green: Fire-Resistant Plants for Oregon Home Landscapes evidence row

Where its sources say to plant it

Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating. They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector: Landscape Zone 3 — 10–30 ft from the structure; thin vegetation, remove debris, and minimize plant massing [Fire Performance Plant Selector landscape zone] (with its recommendation)
Fire Resistance of Plants Master Database: plantable at 70' from home [Idaho minimum planting distance] (mid-scale rating)
FireSmart BC Plant Program: suitable for HIZ extended zone and beyond [FireSmart BC Home Ignition Zone] (with its recommendation)
Fire-Resistant Plants for Oregon Home Landscapes: Oregon [osu-frn6-oregon-regions] (with its recommendation)
Fire-resistant plant profile galleries: Red oak — Quercus rubra [osu-2023-trees-gallery] (with its recommendation)
North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: quercus-rubra [nc-toolbox-flammability-facet] (with its recommendation)
Firewise Landscaping Plants: Deciduous Trees [Maryland Firewise plant-form tables] (with its recommendation)
Maine fire-resistant plant list: Trees, page 1: Northern red oak - Quercus rubra [Maine Forest Service list section and page] (with its recommendation)

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Mid-scale / conditional (1)

Fire Resistance of Plants Master Database — Idaho Firewise (BLM + College of Western Idaho + Idaho Botanical Garden) · original source Primary evidence Field program lineage: idaho-tree

“fire-resistance score 4 of 10” · score 4 (idaho-0-10)

Listed without a rating (76)

Corroboration (76 rows from 1 source)

FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

76 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.
- Primary study Jaskolowski2014: Jaskólowski, W., Ogrodnik, P., & Lukaszek-Chmielewska, A. (2014). The study of time to ignition of woods under external heat flux by piloted ignition and autoignition. Annals of Warsaw University of Life SciencesSGGW, Forestry and Wood Technology, 86, 133-137.
  
  Shared row context: Combustibility measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Jaskolowski2014-1; sampling ND.
  - “energy flux (kW/m²): 621”
    
    FLAMITS record 5053.
  - “energy flux (kW/m²): 451”
    
    FLAMITS record 5056.
  - “energy flux (kW/m²): 240”
    
    FLAMITS record 5059.
  - “energy flux (kW/m²): 81”
    
    FLAMITS record 5062.
  - “energy flux (kW/m²): 40”
    
    FLAMITS record 5065.
  - “energy flux (kW/m²): 36”
    
    FLAMITS record 5068.
- Primary study Kane2021: Kane, J. M., Kreye, J. K., Barajas-Ramirez, R., & Varner, J. M. (2021). Litter trait driven dampening of flammability following deciduous forest community shifts in eastern North America. Forest Ecology and Management, 489, 119100.
  
  Shared row context: plant part litter; fuel live; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Kane2021-1; sampling spring.
  - Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement.
    - “flame height (cm): 57.56”
      
      FLAMITS record 5507.
    - “flame height (cm): 63.16”
      
      FLAMITS record 5508.
    - “flame height (cm): 67.92”
      
      FLAMITS record 5509.
  - Shared measurement context: Sustainability measurement.
    - “flaming duration (s): 43.04”
      
      FLAMITS record 5522.
    - “flaming duration (s): 45.84”
      
      FLAMITS record 5523.
    - “flaming duration (s): 54.17”
      
      FLAMITS record 5524.
    - “smouldering duration (s): 284.83”
      
      FLAMITS record 5537.
    - “smouldering duration (s): 249.99”
      
      FLAMITS record 5538.
    - “smouldering duration (s): 197.46”
      
      FLAMITS record 5539.
  - Shared measurement context: Consumability measurement.
    - “burnt biomass (%): 90.05”
      
      FLAMITS record 5552.
    - “burnt biomass (%): 72.25”
      
      FLAMITS record 5553.
    - “burnt biomass (%): 66.36”
      
      FLAMITS record 5554.
- Primary study Shi2013: Shi, L., & Chew, M. Y. L. (2013). Experimental study of woods under external heat flux by autoignition. Journal of thermal analysis and calorimetry, 111, 1399-1407.
  
  Shared row context: Ignitability measurement; plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Shi2013-1; sampling ND.
  - “time to flaming (s): 119”
    
    FLAMITS record 12637.
  - “time to flaming (s): 79”
    
    FLAMITS record 12643.
  - “time to flaming (s): 57”
    
    FLAMITS record 12649.
  - “time to flaming (s): 26”
    
    FLAMITS record 12655.
  - “time to flaming (s): 24”
    
    FLAMITS record 12661.
  - “time to flaming (s): 23”
    
    FLAMITS record 12667.
  - “temperature at flaming (°C): 511.7”
    
    FLAMITS record 12673.
  - “temperature at flaming (°C): 453.5”
    
    FLAMITS record 12679.
  - “temperature at flaming (°C): 488.6”
    
    FLAMITS record 12685.
  - “temperature at flaming (°C): 482.2”
    
    FLAMITS record 12691.
  - “temperature at flaming (°C): 353.7”
    
    FLAMITS record 12697.
  - “temperature at flaming (°C): 398.6”
    
    FLAMITS record 12703.
- Primary study Tran1992: Tran, H. C., & White, R. H. (1992). Burning rate of solid wood measured in a heat release rate calorimeter. Fire and materials, 16, 197-206.
  
  Shared row context: plant part wood; fuel dead; predrying yes; device calorimeter; site Tran1992-1; sampling ND.
  - Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement.
    - “time to flaming (s): 930”
      
      FLAMITS record 13163.
    - “time to flaming (s): 930”
      
      FLAMITS record 13164.
    - “time to flaming (s): 120”
      
      FLAMITS record 13165.
    - “time to flaming (s): 115”
      
      FLAMITS record 13166.
    - “time to flaming (s): 50”
      
      FLAMITS record 13167.
    - “time to flaming (s): 50”
      
      FLAMITS record 13168.
    - “time to flaming (s): 15”
      
      FLAMITS record 13169.
    - “time to flaming (s): 10”
      
      FLAMITS record 13170.
  - Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement.
    - “energy flux (kW/m²): 48.7”
      
      FLAMITS record 13195.
    - “energy flux (kW/m²): 55.8”
      
      FLAMITS record 13196.
    - “energy flux (kW/m²): 63.1”
      
      FLAMITS record 13197.
    - “energy flux (kW/m²): 65.4”
      
      FLAMITS record 13198.
    - “energy flux (kW/m²): 72.6”
      
      FLAMITS record 13199.
    - “energy flux (kW/m²): 112.9”
      
      FLAMITS record 13200.
    - “energy flux (kW/m²): 113.7”
      
      FLAMITS record 13201.
    - “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 3.92”
      
      FLAMITS record 13226.
    - “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 4.34”
      
      FLAMITS record 13227.
    - “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 5.39”
      
      FLAMITS record 13228.
    - “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 5.81”
      
      FLAMITS record 13229.
    - “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 6.57”
      
      FLAMITS record 13230.
    - “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 7.19”
      
      FLAMITS record 13231.
    - “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 9.8”
      
      FLAMITS record 13232.
    - “mass loss rate per area (g/m² s): 9.5”
      
      FLAMITS record 13233.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2149.61”
      
      FLAMITS record 13258.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2400.4”
      
      FLAMITS record 13259.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2524.6”
      
      FLAMITS record 13260.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2206.93”
      
      FLAMITS record 13261.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2376.51”
      
      FLAMITS record 13262.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2732.39”
      
      FLAMITS record 13263.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2847.04”
      
      FLAMITS record 13264.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2687.01”
      
      FLAMITS record 13289.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2956.91”
      
      FLAMITS record 13290.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 3002.29”
      
      FLAMITS record 13291.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2660.74”
      
      FLAMITS record 13292.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2858.98”
      
      FLAMITS record 13293.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 3327.12”
      
      FLAMITS record 13294.
    - “calorific value (kcal/kg): 3303.23”
      
      FLAMITS record 13295.
- Primary study Varner2021: Varner, J. M., Kane, J. M., Kreye, J. K., & Shearman, T. M. (2021). Litter Flammability of 50 Southeastern North American Tree Species: Evidence for Mesophication Gradients Across Multiple Ecosystems. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 4, 727042. Primary-study method: freshly fallen litter was oven-dried at 50–60°C for at least 24 hours to constant mass; each trial used a 15 g dry litter fuelbed, with five to seven trials per species.
  
  Shared row context: plant part litter; fuel all; predrying yes; device burning bench; site Varner2021-1; sampling ND.
  - Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement.
    - “flame height (cm): 67.7” · condition: dead material · condition method: Materials and Methods, Laboratory Burning
      
      FLAMITS record 13693.
    - “flame intensity (kW/m): 242” · condition: dead material · condition method: Materials and Methods, Laboratory Burning
      
      FLAMITS record 13697.
  - Shared measurement context: Sustainability measurement.
    - “flaming duration (s): 46.1” · condition: dead material · condition method: Materials and Methods, Laboratory Burning
      
      FLAMITS record 13694.
    - “smouldering duration (s): 283” · condition: dead material · condition method: Materials and Methods, Laboratory Burning
      
      FLAMITS record 13695.
  - “burnt biomass (%): 91.1” · condition: dead material · condition method: Materials and Methods, Laboratory Burning
    
    FLAMITS record 13696; Consumability measurement.
- Primary study Kreye2023: Kreye, J. K., Kane, J. M., & Varner, J. M. (2023). Multivariate roles of litter traits on moisture and flammability of temperate northeastern North American tree species. Fire Ecology, 19, 1-12.
  
  Shared row context: plant part litter; fuel live; predrying no; device burning bench; site Kreye2023-1; sampling ND.
  - “flame height (cm): 68”
    
    FLAMITS record 18768; Combustibility measurement.
  - “time to flaming (s): 46”
    
    FLAMITS record 18769; Ignitability measurement.
  - “smouldering duration (s): 292”
    
    FLAMITS record 18770; Sustainability measurement.
  - “burnt biomass (%): 91”
    
    FLAMITS record 18771; Consumability measurement.

Guides that discuss this plant

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: USDA PLANTS · GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Wikipedia · ITIS

Quercus rubra (Red oak). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/quercus-rubra/. Last verified 2026-08-23.