Wood: The
white oak is the most important timber species in the US as the wood is
strong, hard, durable and widely available. It was the mainstay in North
American ship-building prior to the use of steel. Many World War II mine
sweepers and patrol boats had keels of white oak from F.D. Roosevelt's Hyde
Park estate. This species is the principle tree used for railroad ties,
mine timbers, flooring, paneling, firewood and whiskey barrels.
Wildlife: The acorns are edible and sweet after boiling and were once a staple of Native Americans. The white oak bears large acorn crops once every 4 to 6 years and the acorn is important to many wildlife species including upland gamebirds, songbirds, small mammals and hoofed browsers.
Horticulture: This is one of the most beautiful landscape trees: although sensitive to root disturbance, it is attractive in winter, casts a dense shade and has stout branches which are not susceptible to wind damage. A relatively fast grower in the first decade of its life, the white oak takes years to mature to form a fine, majestic specimen.
