12-10-2020
By
Earth.com staff writer
Researchers have estimated that 31 percent of the world’s oak tree species are threatened with extinction. A new report, The Red List of Oaks 2020, provides unprecedented details on the distribution of oak trees, population trends, and the dangers that they face.
Among the 430 oak species found worldwide, 32 species are threatened in Mexico, 36 in China, 20 in Vietnam, and 16 species in the United States. The proportion of endangered oak trees is higher than the global threat levels for mammals or birds.
Dr. Murphy Westwood is the director of Global Tree Conservation at The Morton Arboretum. “As we were evaluating the extinction risk of these hundreds of species over the past several years, it became clear how dire the situation is for oaks,” said Dr. Westwood.