Elevation and White Oak Trees
- The white oak (Quercus alba) tree is prevalent in the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, growing from Maine to northern Florida and as far west as Texas and Minnesota. Within that geographic segment, it generally is not found in the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains, across the lower Mississippi Delta or along coastal Louisiana or Texas. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the largest white oaks are found in Delaware and Maryland.
- Elevation seems to play little part in the health and development of the white oak through the southern and central regions of its native habitat. The tree is found at all altitudes in those locations. However, in the northern part of its range -- through Maine, Canada, Michigan and similar states and provinces -- the white oak rarely grows above an elevation of 500 feet. Therefore, it is not found in the higher sections of the Appalachians in New York or New England.
- In the southern Appalachians, it does grow in a somewhat scraggly form at an elevation as high as 4,500 feet. The western side of the Appalachians and the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys provide the ideal growing conditions for the white oak. Those areas provide an average annual temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit, 40 inches of rainfall, 15 to 20 inches of annual snowfall and a six-month season of frost-free growth. It does not tolerate dry, shallow-soil ridges or wet bottom land.
- Another species, the Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) is native to the Pacific Coast, stretching from British Columbia to Southern California. This tree grows across inland areas and is found at elevations up to 3,800 feet but also grows prolifically at much lower elevations. In Southern California, brush stands of the Oregon white oak exist at elevations reaching 7,500 feet. The tree is also referred to as a Garry oak, Brewer oak or shin oak.