Sitting under the mighty Oak tree … is part of a well known verse and it is likely memorable because many of us know oak trees. In the book Oak -the frame of civilization by William Bryant Logan, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2005, the author discusses oak trees. This column will touch on four stories – shipbuilding, architecture, oak barrels and root system in order you may discover a renewed interest in the oak tree.

Sometime ago the US Navy thought if we could only build a ship that functioned similar to the dolphin they would have the best ship in the world. The dolphin is one of the most efficient animals in the sea – they adjust to the waves and water pressure to go through all types of sea conditions. In short,  the dolphins wiggles through the waves. It turns out there was a ship based on the dolphin  – a Viking ship. The ships were made of cleft oak and had incredible adaptablitiy. The Vikings could sail, they could row, they could turn on a dime, the boat easily went through shallow waters and could be landed at the beach. The ships moved with the waves or were excellent ships in the ocean or closer to shore.The wood that made all that possible was the oak as it is strong, watertight, bendable and workable.

In architecture, between the 4th and 18th centuries, 95% of all buildings built in Europe were made of oak. Including famous churches and great halls. Most of them built by carpenters that had little formal education but through their work knew and understood the wood.

Oak barrels are an incredible invention – you can put liquid or solids in the barrel – without the barrel leaking or breaking. The barrels can be easily moved once something was put in the barrel by rolling it. It took skill to learn how to make a good barrel and when someone had the skill they were called either Mister or Master of the trade. The invention of the forklift meant square containers and less need of the barrel.

If you either look at the Oak tree – most of us know one type of another but there are many types with very adaptable seeds or accorns. If the weather changes, the oak tree will begin to adapt to ensure it will continue. The oak tree is one of the very few trees that has deciduous types (with leaves) and evergreen oaks. The root system will cover a wide radius and its roots have been known to squeeze through the smallest of openings. On top of all that a favoured bird of oaks is the Blue Jay which can carry 4 acorns in its beak which helps spread the acorns to a wider geographic area.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, the oak tree has many of the characteristics you should be looking for in buying shares. In terms of dividend paying – similar to the oak tree you want to buy a company with a flexility and adaptability to stay in business for the long term. You want a strong wood or has many uses or is needed by the populace to be better in their lives. The oak tree has been and is a valuable tree in man’s evolution, many good dividend stocks have helped and are helping countless individuals.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.