They make choice food for most forest wildlife species. One authority estimated that it takes 10,000 acorns to produce one tree. All the rest are consumed. Young stems are smooth and shiny gray. Bark on older limbs and trunk is ashy-gray, broken into long, loose scales.
Buds are globe-shaped, clustered around the tip of the branch.
White oak is one of our most ubiquitous trees, being found in every county in the state. In terms of value it is our most important tree. Its lumber is second only to walnut in unit value. An important use for white oak is in the barrel or cooperage industry. This wood is particularly desirable for the manufacture of barrels because it has properties which make it leakproof.