The shrubs are so dense that travel is sometimes difficult through the woods. The exception is an oak woods frequented by regular fires. A fire maintained oak woods is open and park-like. In either case, the groundlayer consists of many species with sticktights, such as tick-trefoil. Once-plentiful herds of bison and elk dispersed these seeds in Wisconsin.
Oaks require moderate light intensities to reproduce in a forest.
Well to excessive drainage. Fox, Rodman, Wyocena, Coloma, Hixton, Sogn. Unstable in absence of fire and extreme topography. Succeeded by more mesic types if a mesic seed source is nearby. Upper Mississippi valley, south to Kentucky and the Ozark Mountains.