Oak Leaves and Pine Needles contribute acid to the soil. My question is this acidic reaction significantly different than from other leaves in general?
My personal opinion is that is doesn't make enough of a difference to stop me from using them. It's really hard to alter the native pH of your soil, so unless yours is already way too acidic, I'd go ahead and use them.
Oak leaves and pine needles are perfect for hot composting. Green oak leaves are great greens. Pine needles are great browns. After the microherd and the humic acids inside compost piles get to digesting these materials the final resulting organic material (mature compost or humus) has a balanced pH near neutral pH = 7.
I wouldn't worry about using oak leaves or pine needles as an organic mulch. If the underlying soil under the mulch is rich in compost, rich in organic nitrogen, and has enough calcium carbonate in it, the slightly acidic mulch will not have any effect in lowering the soil pH.
The beneficial soil microbes will gradually digest the mulch into soluble nutrients for the plants to use over time.
Thank you. I suspected the response you gave would in some way get back to good ole Ruth Stoudt's opinion that all gets there and becomes one in due time. Or perhaps she said, "Some things remain mulch longer before becoming compost".
