



Should I worry about canopy gap?
Hi everyone. I have this northern red oak that stands ~ 12 ft high. This year, it has this gap that is probably 2ft and has developed a lean. I worry that it is growing too tall too fast. The pictures show the gap, a closer view of buds, and (for context) a photo of the base of the upright stem (branch?) with my thumb to show thickness. This is about 6ft from the very top of the tree.
I live in a high desert (SW Idaho) and planted this tree about 5 years ago with hopes that it could someday shade the south facing yard that gets murdered in the summer. This poor thing gets up to 16 hours of sunlight in late summer but has never shown signs of stress. I just want to keep it healthy, so any advice is appreciated!