The oak family is an important
component of the forestlands of Tennessee. Many oak species provide both
wildlife and humans with an abundance of resources. “If Oak is the king of
trees, as tradition has it, then the White Oak (Quercus alba), throughout its range, is the king of kings,” wrote
Donald Culross Peattie in his 1950 book on the natural history of trees. The
white oak’s range stretches across our state and is a major component of our
woodlands and our history.
Some of the biggest white oaks in
Tennessee are more than 100 feet high and wide. This species of tree is
long-lived. Some white oaks in our country were alive when Christopher Columbus
left Spain on his first voyage. As long as people have lived in Tennessee, they
have been relying on white oaks for survival and income. Wood from the tree is
used to build houses and grace hearths as fuel on cold winter nights. The
staves, or sections of wood that make up a whiskey barrel, are best made from
white oak, and impart a unique taste to whiskey that is distinctively American.
Between 1880 and 1920 Tennessee had a
great extraction of timber across the state, providing a hungry nation with the
raw materials it needed. This era brought jobs and people to our state. Memphis
was once known as the “hardwood capital of the world” and thirty to forty
sawmills were scattered across the Mid-South. It was big business and white oak
was one of main players. Even today, Tennessee often ranks near the top of
hardwood production as forestry continues to be an important but often little
recognized economic contributor to Tennessee.
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