• Context

While past studies on epicormics in oak (Quercus sp.) have focused on the effect of thinning on epicormic shoots emergence, the consequences of this emergence on the epicormic ontogeny and future wood quality have rarely been asked.

• Aims

This paper aims to quantifying the relationship between past emergence and current composition of epicormics.

• Methods

Three thinning experiments with Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. or Quercus robur L. were investigated. Epicormic shoots were regularly tallied and epicormic composition recorded recently. Some logs were scanned using X-ray computed tomography (CT).

• Results

Past tallies on both species were mainly and positively related to the current frequency of bud clusters and burls. This was due to the production of buds by epicormic shoots for only certain trees, as evidenced by CT, and mainly to correlated numbers of current epicormic shoots, bud clusters and burls, all originating from a past common set of buds and bud clusters.

• Conclusion

The important tree effect on both species suggests that oak silviculture can be optimized by the early selection of crop trees with few epicormics and/or eventually a first and heavy thinning that helps in spotting remaining individuals being prone to the development of multiple epicormics.