If various oaks are making it on the soils there and you want upswept branching with reddish fall color then scarlet oak or white oak might be successful. Otherwise Shumard oak should fit the bill nicely.

The reasons those weren't on the plant list to begin with are as follows:

White oak, slow to establish and slow growing overall. Beautiful tree though if it weren't for the need for instant gratification, I'd say white oak. There are a number of them in the community already.

Scarlet oak, very hard to transplant and nearly impossible to find in 2-3" size b&b in this area.

N. Red is my favorite, but I usually like seeing the white streaked bark in the woods and not as a stand-alone tree. When growing alone they cast a wonderfully dense shade.

Trees Atlanta came to our symposium this weekend and offered the following comments in regards to using these as "urban neighborhood street" trees (in the Atlanta area):

Northern Red Oak: Recommend planting only where larger soil area, good soils and good drainage.

Scarlett Oak: Needs good drainage, drought tolerant once established, moderate to fast growth, great fall color.

Quercus shumardii ÂPanache was mentioned for "urban parks/cooler areas". Pin Oak was not mentioned at all.

That's weird. I was going to volunteer for that event this weekend had it not been for a heavy late friday workload and my having volunteered the prior weekend.

Thats good to know though. I was not aware of that.

Gee, I would never recommend an oak as a street tree because of the acorns. I have two red oaks, one on the street and another over the patio. Nice, light green shade and outstanding fall color, but those mongo round acorns are a mess and a hazard. I've thought about cutting it down.

The one in the street is less of an acorn hazard, but I have learned not to park my car under it in the spring when the catkins release SO much pollen. Yellow dust everywhere, and real mess when it rains.

Too bad there aren't sterile oaks. Then they would be perfect trees.

Dr, Actually the pollen you notice is almost always from pines. So no matter where you park you'll still have yellow on your cars.

White Oak, Bur Oak, Chestnut Oak, Chinkapin Oak, Swamp White Oak.

My bur oak seedling has grown faster than just about any oak seedling I've ever had. It's supposed to be able to withstand many stressful conditions, especially drought.
Of course, those huge acorns might dent some cars!
Sherry

What about bald cypress? Shawnee Brave looks like a nice tree...

To provide year-round privacy, the Darlington Oak (_Quercus hemisphaerica_) is a peerless choice for urban residential landscaping. It is a beautiful native evergreen oak, hardy from Zone 7 through Zone 9. Its color is green all seasons of the year. The Darlington Oak screens you in and screens others out, thus providing privacy. It is extensively used in Columbia, SC, and is equally at home in 'Lanner and its environs. I have one and can testify to its worth.

The Japanese Evergreen Oak (_Quercus acuta_) and the Chinese Evergreen Oak (_Quercus myrsinifolia_) would also be fine evergreen exotic oaks for use in Zones 7 and higher. They add a certain panache to the landscape and, being evergreen, a little privacy.

Thank you all for the replies.
We went with Northern Red Oaks for that part of the project. The landscaper clarified most recently that the reason he suggested pin oak was because he could get them cheaper. We have a bit of a problem here with tree growers and nurseries going out of business or moving away so availability to some of those rarities is at an all time low. Once upon a time you could find chinese evergreen or laurel oaks here but those days are long gone.

Nearly Native Nursery, Pike Nurseries, etc., are bound to have a selection of evergreen oaks. They're also readily available through a variety of high-quality mail order nurseries.

Last I read about it, Pikes was bankrupt and closing locations left and right. They sold their wholesale nursery (the company that bought it promptly closed it!) and the retail centers that remain have a selection of trees similar to what you would find at a k-mart garden center. Which is really too bad because they used to have the best selection in atlanta. Never saw a chinese evergreen oak there but they had live oaks from time to time which don't really do that well here IMO.

If you're in the west, I'd also recommend valley oak (Quercus lobata)

On the contrary, the live oak (_Quercus virginiana_) performs well in Zone 7 but because of its wide, spreading habit of growth, is not suited to a cramped, suburban residential lot. Neither living in Atlanta nor reading the _AJ-C_, I was unaware that Pike's Nurseries had fallen on hard times. Give the Nearly Native Nursery a shot if interested in the evergreen Oriental oaks, or rely on a quality mail-order nursery.

Not all "zone 7's" are the same growing conditions. Not to continue beating that dead horse, though.