Oak Trees

Oak (Quercus). Members of the beech family Fagaceae, Oaks are a mainstay of healthy habitat in North America. Providing habitat and food for over 100 species of vertebrate animals across the US, in the Pacific Northwest they are a major food source for bear, deer, fox, squirrel, opossum, raccoon, and rabbit. Wild turkeys, woodpeckers, quails, crows and jays all eat their acorns as well as hunt the invertebrates who feed on oak leaves. This diverse range of invertebrate species provide food for birds who ‘clean’ the trees of larvae, moths, and other insects including predatory spiders. Oaks are such important food sources for wildlife that up to 50% of wild animal food can come from them, and, as just one example, fawn survival rates are impacted year over year by the size of acorn crops.

Planting an oak tree establishes an entire ecosystem which can live up to 500 years depending on the species of oak you select.

Acorns can also be processed for human food and have been a staple of native diets for thousands of years.

The native oaks of the Pacific Northwest are the Oregon White Oak and the California Black Oak, both of which are available at our nursery.