WHITE OAK - Quercus alba, Linn.
WHEN POEMS ARE WRITTEN about the mighty oak, the author usually is referring to the mighty white oak, gigantic in form, steeped in legend and valued highly by lumbermen. The decks of "Old Ironsides," part of a great American heritage, are constructed from white oak wood. White oak was used extensively in ship construction because of its strength, durability, and waterproof qualities. So important was white oak to the early colonists that extensive areas of white oak were set aside in the south to be used only through royal approval. White oak is one of our longest lived trees. Some, still growing, started life about the time the Mayflower reached the shores of Plymouth.
The leaf is alternate and simple with 7 to 9 rounded lobes reaching nearly to the center. It is bright green above and pale below, turning a dark red or purple wine color in autumn. Sometimes leaves remain on the tree through the winter.
White oak acorns are about 3/4 of an inch long and enclosed one-quarter of its length by a warty cup. They make choice food for most forest wildlife species. One authority estimated that it takes 10,000 acorns to produce one tree. All the rest are consumed.
Young stems are smooth and shiny gray. Bark on older limbs and trunk is ashy-gray, broken into long, loose scales. Buds are globe-shaped, clustered around the tip of the branch.
White oak is one of our most ubiquitous trees, being found in every county in the state. In terms of value it is our most important tree. Its lumber is second only to walnut in unit value. An important use for white oak is in the barrel or cooperage industry. This wood is particularly desirable for the manufacture of barrels because it has properties which make it leakproof. Many thousands of miles of white oak fence posts cross and recross our state. Fine golden and limed oak furniture is made from rift-cut white oak. Other products from white oak include railroad ties, pallets, flooring and paneling. The finest logs are made into veneer for plywood, paneling and furniture.
White oak grows under a variety of conditions and while it grows best on good soils, it is found most often on medium forest soils. In our river hill counties it sometimes forms nearly pure stands. More commonly it grows in association with other oaks and hickory.
This tree is hard to transplant because of its long tap root. Once established in a yard, it may become a giant of a tree and a diameter of four feet and over.
