White oak wood is often used in furniture frame construction and is more or less white in color. The growth rate of white oaks is reasonable as far as shade trees go. I planted a 6-foot tall white oak 20 years ago that today, is 35 feet tall with a spread of 22 feet and a trunk diameter of 16 inches. Mature trees can easily reach 100 feet in height with a spread of 125 feet and limbs the size of ordinary trees. The leaves have seven to nine rounded lobes and usually are shades of yellow, or occasionally orange, in the fall.
White oaks have a beautiful gray, plated bark that make the trees stand out in the woods.
In the garden, white oaks are neighborly. While they are big trees, they are not shallow rooted. This makes it possible to grow other plants under their limbs without having to leave a garden hose dripping on the plant like you do with maples. White oaks have a couple of insects that occasionally produce unusual galls on the leaves, but this simply adds to their beauty and interest in the landscape. The only serious pest to the white oak is man.