Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Quercus bicolor
Introductory
SPECIES: Quercus bicolor
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Snyder, S. A. 1992. Quercus bicolor. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/quebic/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
QUEBIC
SYNONYMS :
SCS PLANT CODE :
QUBI
COMMON NAMES :
swamp white oak
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of swamp white oak is Quercus
bicolor Willd. (Fagaceae) [10]. There are no recognized varieties or
forms. Swamp white oak hybridizes with the following [10,14]:
Q. alba (Q. X jackiana Schneider)
Q. stellata (Q. X substellata Trel.)
Q. lyrata (Q. X humidicola E.J. Palmer)
Q. macrocarpa (Q. X Hillii Trel.)
Q. X introgressa is a hybrid cross formed with another hybrid parent
[28]. Q. meuhlenbergii is introgressed by Q. prinoides and Q. bicolor.
For more information on swamp white oak hybrids see Little [36].
LIFE FORM :
Tree
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Quercus bicolor
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Swamp white oak occurs mainly in the midwestern states from Iowa,
southern Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio south to northern Kentucky.
Isolated populations occur in Minnesota, New England, Quebec, Ontario,
Tennessee, and North Carolina [18].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
FRES18 Maple - beech - birch
FRES19 Aspen - birch
STATES :
CT DE IL IN IA KS KY ME MD MA
MI MN MO NH NJ NY NC OH PA RI
TN VT VA WV WI ON PQ
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
NO-ENTRY
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K098 Northern floodplain forest
K099 Maple - basswood forest
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K101 Elm - ash forest
K102 Beech - maple forest
K103 Mixed mesophytic forest
K106 Northern hardwoods
SAF COVER TYPES :
26 Sugar maple - basswood
14 Northern pin oak
38 Tamarack
39 Black ash - American elm - red maple
52 White oak - black oak - northern red oak
53 White oak
59 Yellow poplar - white oak - northern red oak
60 Beech - sugar maple
62 Silver maple - American elm
64 Sassafras - persimmon
65 Pin oak - sweet gum
92 Sweetgum - willow oak
94 Sycamore - sweetgum - American elm
108 Red maple
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Quercus bicolor
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
Oak species account for one-third of the hardwood sawtimber volume in
the United States [34]. Swamp white oak is a heavy, hard wood that
machines well, but it can check and warp if not dried properly. It is
used for furniture, flooring, boxes, crates, barrels, kegs, ships and
boats [27].
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Swamp white oak acorns are an important food for wildlife such as
squirrels, white-tailed deer, beaver, black bear, and a variety of birds
[3,12,24]. It provides cover for birds and mammals [6].
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Percent oven-dry weight nutrient values for swamp white oak leaves are
as follows [4]:
nitrogen 2.02
potassium 1.20
phosphorous 0.26
calcium 1.07
magnesium 0.31
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Swamp white oak is planted on highway rights-of-way [15].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Swamp white oak is a component of forested wetlands, many of which are
being converted to agricultural lands and subdivisions [7]. Oaks are
susceptible to many insect pests, fungi, cankers, and wilts. Refer to
Solomon and others [34] for information on how to recognize and control
these diseases [34]. Oak species can suffer from what is known as "oak
decline." This is when trees die or limbs die back due to environmental
stresses [35].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Quercus bicolor
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Swamp white oak is a native deciduous tree that reaches heights of 50 to
70 feet (15-20 m) and diameters of 2 to 3 feet (0.6-1 m) [31]. It has a
limby bole and an open, irregularly shaped crown. Its bark is flakey
and grey. Its leaves resemble those of chestnut (Castanea spp.); they
are shallowly lobed with serrate margins [22]. The fruit is an acorn
0.75 to 1.25 inches (2-3 cm) long. A mossy-like fringed cup covers from
one-third to one-half of the acorn [10]. Acorns are one seeded (rarely
two) and form singly or in clusters [25].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte: Mesophanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Sexual: Swamp white oak reproduces by seed, which mature in 1 year
[31]. Good seed crops are produced every 4 to 7 years, but many acorns
are infested by insects [33]. Acorns must be collected shortly afer
falling to prevent early germination. Viability can be tested by
dumping acorns into water. Those that float are not viable. Acorns
cannot be stored for more than a few months. Cleaned seed averages 120
per pound (108/kg). One hundred pounds of fruit will average between 60
and 75 pounds (54-67.5/kg) of seed [25]. Seedlings grow slowly at less
than 6 inches (15 cm) per year [33].
Vegetative: Swamp white oak can sprout from its trunk [33].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Swamp white oak occurs in river bottomlands, depressions, along
streamsides, swamp borders, and on moist peaty flats [10,20]. It is a
minor component in tamarack (Larix laricina) swamps of southwestern
Michigan [16]. Along the Ohio shores of Lake Erie, swamp white oak
grows in Toledo soil, a very poorly drained, silty clay. It also grows
on Nappanee soils, which are somewhat poorly drained silt loams [13].
Along the Kankakee River on the Illinois and Indiana border, swamp white
oak is a major overstory component of the floodplain forest. Here the
soils are highly permeable, frequently flooded sandy loams [21]. In
Quebec, swamp white oak occurs on sandy and loamy sand alluvium between
68 and 87 feet (22.6 and 28.9 m) in elevation [30].
Plant associates include pin oak (Quercus palustris), northern red oak
(Q. rubra), hickory (Carya spp.), beech (Fagus spp.), sweetgum
(Liquidambar styraciflua), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), red
maple (Acer rubrum), silver maple (A. saccharinum), green ash (Fraxinus
pennsylvanicum), tamarack, dogwood (Cornus spp.), sumac (Rhus spp.),
serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), grape (Vitis spp.), holly (Ilex spp.),
and viburnum (Viburnum spp.) [3,5,9,12,30].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Swamp white oak is intermediate in shade tolerance but not very drought
tolerant [20]. It is a dominant tree in wetlands on infertile to
fertile soils of oak ecosystems in southeastern Michigan [2]. Without
disturbance elm (Ulmus americana)-ash (Fraxinus spp.)-cottonwood
(Populus spp.) types will convert to oak-dominated types that include
swamp white oak [23]. White oak (Quercus alba) forests of southern Ohio
(of which swamp white oak is a component) will progress towards hickory
and beech forests if undisturbed [5].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Swamp white oak acorns ripen from August through December [25].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Quercus bicolor
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
All oaks can resprout from stems when top-killed by fire. The ability
to sprout decreases with an increase in age and tree size [33]. Many
seedlings develop an "S"-shaped crook in their stems, which protects
dormant buds from fire heat and enables seedlings to sprout [32]. With
repeated fire stems become calloused. This tissue is filled with
dormant buds that resprout.
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
off-site colonizer; seed carried by animals or water; postfire yr 1&2
survivor species; on-site surviving root crown
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Quercus bicolor
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Severe fires can top-kill swamp white oak [33]. Moderate fires may kill
seedlings and saplings, but older trees usually survive. Fire-damaged
surviving trees are susceptible to disease and insect attack.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
A prescribed burn on an Indiana savannah did not kill swamp white oak
saplings and larger trees [1]. However, trees did not sprout following
the burn. Average fuel loads were 560 g/sq m before the fire and from
400 to 650 g/sq m 1 year after the fire.
Fires during the dormant season are less damaging to oaks because of
lowered ambient temperatures and the tree's physiological state [32].
Crooked trees may be killed more easily than straight trees if the
crooked trees are leaning towards the flames. Overstocked stands may
suffer more damage from fire due to reduced vigor and size of
individuals [32]. Fire appears to affect acorn crops only in that,
dying trees tend to produce a massive crop. Acorns themselves are
easily destroyed by fire because of high moisture content [32].
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Swamp white oak stems can resprout following fire. Sprouts can grow as
much as 3 to 6 feet (1-3 m) per year for the first 2 to 3 postfire years
[33].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Fire can reduce litter depth, allowing oak seedlings to become
established [32]. Fire can also reduce stocking rates of other species,
allowing oak species to increase in basal area. Fire can induce
vigorous sprouting from older root stock, which may be a preferred
reproductive method [32].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Quercus bicolor
REFERENCES :
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FEIS Home Page
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