WHITE OAK (quercus alba)
Ever since European colonizers came to North America and began using fire suppression tactics, the northern red oak has dominated the landscape– but its relative, the white oak, often grows after natural disturbances like fire, drought, and disease. Therefore, the white oak flourished during the era of Native Americans’ frequent controlled burns, and, as a consequence of modern fire suppression, has since diminished.
The resilient white oak grows in a variety of habitats such as uplands, bottomlands, dry slopes, and riparian zones. It is slow-growing and requires lots of sunlight. However, white oak seedlings can persist under a closed canopy for up to 90 years, with a minor above-ground presence, yet an extensive root system under the earth. When a gap in the canopy eventually opens, the white oak will stretch upwards and soon become enormous and wide-reaching. Because of their adaptability, white oaks don’t have one uniform kind of foliage– depending on habitat and climate, their leaves can turn brown, red, or even purple in autumn.
Ecological Relationships: As they tend to retain larger dead branches and rot, white oaks are an important nesting site for many birds. Their acorns are an integral food source to squirrels, chipmunks, mice, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, blue jays, woodpeckers, and black bears. Finally, their leaves stay on branches much longer than many other deciduous trees; this provides cover and warmth for many animals throughout the fall and into winter.
Ecological Threats: Nut weevils, moth larvae, gall-forming cynipids.