Question
Hi, Tom.  Thanks for taking my question.  
I am going to plant a tree in my front yard, and I have narrowed it down to one of three types of oak trees.  As a fellow Kansas native would you be able share with me any observations or experience you have about how well the following three types of trees grow in Kansas?

1.  Chinkapin oak, Quercus muehlenbergii
2.  Shumard oak, Quercus shumardii
3.  Willow oak, Quercus phellos

I have discovered that the Shumard oak is the easiest of these three to find at local nurseries and big box stores.  And according to this website, http://www.kansasforests.org/pubs/community/SC%20Pref%20Trees%20-%20FINAL2.pdf, the Chinkapin oak is the most adaptable to SC Kansas.  However, I am leaning towards the Willow oak, because of its rapid growth rate and nice symmetrical form, and its a proven tree here in Kansas.
Is there any other information you can give me?  Have you noticed or heard of any problems with these three trees, and is there one that you would recommend over the others?  My decision may come down to cost and availability, which may push me towards the Shumard oak.  I know the Shumard oak may not always have colorful fall foliage like many pictures show, since fall color is based just as much on climate, moisture, and temperature as it is on species.  But this tree is being mass-introduced right now without knowing for sure how it will perform in Kansas.  The last tree that was mass introduced into Kansas, (Autumn Blaze Maple), was discovered to be susceptible to chlorosis in certain soil types and now you don't hear a lot about it.  Anyway, any advice you can give me will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Tim

Answer
Hi Tim,
Thanx for your question.  I'm not really an expert on trees but I can tell you that certain oaks do have problems with iron chlorosis in Kansas' neutral to alkaline soils.  Because the willow oak and chinkapin oak have already been proven for Kansas, I would be cautious about considering the Shumard oak.  A mass introduction of a tree or plant into an area is not always a good thing and more often than not is a marketing ploy by individuals or companies that have found an inexpensive way to mass produce a plant and then dump it in an area where anticipated sales are predicted to be high.  This more often than not pans out into disaster in my opinion like the mass introduction of the Bradford pear which is often ripped to pieces in spring and early summer Midwestern thunderstorms.  What I would do if I were you, is contact your local county extension agent.  S/he should be able to tell you what kind of statistics Kansas State University Extension has on these trees.  They are the real experts and right in our own backyard and can tell us first hand what trees are being trialed in Kansas and what the results are.  I know you and I have consulted before and I believe you are near Wichita right?  Let me know your county and I'll get you a contact.  I hope this helps.
Tom