Table of Contents
What is special about the white oak tree?
White oak trees are unique because they grow both male and female flowers. The male flowers range between two and four inches long and are green or yellowish in color, while the female flower appears slightly red in color. Acorns are actually fruit from the fertilized female flower.
How tall are white oaks?
The white oak grows to a height of 50–80′ and a spread of 50–80′ at maturity.
How long do white oaks live?
between 200 and 300 years
White oaks usually live between 200 and 300 years. The Basking Ridge oak has surpassed that by several centuries.
Why is white oak called white oak?
White oak trees get their name from the whitish color of the undersides of their leaves, distinguishing them from other oaks.
What is white oak used for?
Common Uses: Cabinetry, furniture, interior trim, flooring, boatbuilding, barrels, and veneer. Comments: Strong, beautiful, rot-resistant, easy to work, and economical: white oak represents an exceptional value to woodworkers. It’s no wonder that the wood is so widely used in cabinet and furniture making.
Is White Oak rare?
Large diameter White Oak trees have become an increasingly rare wood as most quality timber was harvested over a century ago. Of all the oaks, it is the most sought after and valuable because of its strength and appearance.
Are white oaks good trees?
While they aren’t commonly found in nurseries due to their slow rate of growth, white oaks are prized landscaped specimens for the shape of their wide-spreading branches. The slow-growing trees are also long-lived with specimens surviving for hundreds of years.
Where do white oaks grow?
White oak grows throughout most of the Eastern United States. It is found from southwestern Maine and extreme southern Quebec, west to southern Ontario, central Michigan, to southeastern Minnesota; south to western Iowa, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas; east to northern Florida and Georgia.
Why is White Oak waterproof?
A closed grain hardwood, white oak is almost impervious to water. The pores of the heartwood of white oaks are typically plugged with tyloses, which is a membranous growth. Tyloses makes the white oak impenetrable to liquids and particularly suited for use in the boat industry.
How much is white oak Worth?
One estimate of its value can be found by multiplying the mean reported for no. 1 common White Oak (425 for Spring of 2012 and 482 in the Fall) by 10 (10,000 board feet divided by 1,000). So you’re White Oak is likely worth about $4,250.
Are white oaks messy?
Swamp White Oak has dark green foliage which emerges grayish green in spring. The glossy lobed leaves turn coppery-bronze in fall. Neither the flowers nor the fruit are ornamentally significant. However, the fruit can be messy in the landscape and may require occasional clean-up.
What are some interesting facts about the white oak tree?
Facts About White Oak Trees Characteristics. White oak trees grow up to 100 feet in height, and the crown can reach up to 80 feet in width. Range. White oaks grow in deciduous forests along with other hardwood trees. Fruits. The trees start producing acorns once the tree reaches about 20 years of age. Conditions. Uses. Wildlife.
How strong is white oak?
Available in two varieties — red and white — oak is strong (hardness of about 4 on a scale of 1 to 5) and easy to work with. White oak is preferred for furniture-making because it has a more attractive figure than red oak . White oak is also resistant to moisture and can be used on outdoor furniture.
How did a white oak tree get its name?
White oak trees get their name from the whitish color of the undersides of their leaves , distinguishing them from other oaks. They are hardy from USDA zone 3 through 9.
How long does white oak live?
One of the most common and well-known species of oak, the white oak (Quercus alba), has an average life span of 300 years. Under excellent growing conditions, however, white oaks are known to live up to 600 years, making them one of the longest-lived American oak species.