The large leaves are formed with five to nine rounded lobes and, unlike the black oaks, have no bristles. The deep somber brown, or russet, of the oak leaf is a familiar feature of the autumn landscape, and on young trees many dead leaves remain attached throughout the winter. Acorns, the seed of the oak, mature in early autumn. These shiny brown, sweet-flavored nuts, known as mast, have become an important food for bears, squirrels, and birds, particularly with the passing of the chestnut.
The oak grows slowly but lives long, sometimes 500 to 600 years. In open fields or lawns the trunk is shorter and the branches spread outward 80 feet or more. In the forest, white oak grows best in deep humus soil and is found in a mixture with other oaks, hickory, and maple.
Of the more than 20 species of commercially important Eastern oak, white oak is truly outstanding. From the earliest days it provided a valuable source of timber for houses, ships, and furniture. Strength, durability, and beauty are the words for white oak. Its uses range from barrels and bridges to flooring and fine cabinets.
Exploring the World of Trees
In every National Forest there are places where visitors can see and learn more about America’s trees—the firs, pines, poplars, maples, and oaks already briefly described, and others of the forest’s 175 commercially important species. These areas of outstanding interest, demonstrating various phases of tree growth, management, and use, are located in every section of the country. Among these are the following 10:
1 The Big Acre, near Lake Quinault, Wash., Olympic National Forest, Pacific Northwest Region.
This plot encompasses giant Douglas-fir and other species growing in favorable conditions of the rain forest. A replica is shown in diorama in the Hall of North American Forests in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. On the east side of the Olympic Peninsula, Mount Walker Summit (elevation 2,769 feet) looks deep into ridges and valleys with examples of block cuttings where Douglas-fir is growing anew.
2 Wind River Experimental Forest, where forest research began in the Pacific Northwest, near Carson, Wash., Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Pacific Northwest Region.
The arboretum is a proving ground for conifers of the world and now has groups of more than 135 species. Separate areas are devoted to shade tolerance, seed dissemination, rodent control, and other studies. And nearby at the Wind River Nursery, about 5.5 million new trees are produced yearly for reforestation in the Northwest.