An oak woodland is a

plant community A plant community is a collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The components of each plant ...

with a tree

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak woodlands are intermediate between

oak savanna An oak savanna is a type of savanna—or lightly forested grassland—where oaks (''Quercus ''spp.) are the dominant trees. The terms "oakery" or "woodlands" are also used commonly, though the former is more prevalent when referencing the Medite ...

, which is more open, and

oak forest An oak forest is a plant community with a tree canopy dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak forests contain the most closed canopy, compared to oak savannas and oak woodlands. Examples * Southern dry-mesic oak f ...

, which is more closed. Although the community is named for the dominance of oak trees, the

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abo ...

vegetation is often diverse and includes many species of grasses, sedges, forbs, ferns, shrubs, and other plants.

Examples

* Upper

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

oak woodlands dominated by white oak (''

Quercus alba An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...

''), burr oak ('' Q. macrocarpa''), and black oak ('' Q. velutina''), with subdominant canopy species red oak (''

Q. rubra ''Quercus rubra'', the northern red oak, is an oak tree in the red oak group (''Quercus'' section ''Lobatae''). It is a native of North America, in the eastern and central United States and southeast and south-central Canada. It has been introd ...

'') and shagbark hickory (''

Carya ovata ''Carya ovata'', the shagbark hickory, is a common hickory in the Eastern United States and southeast Canada. It is a large, deciduous tree, growing well over tall, and can live more than 350 years. The tallest measured shagbark, located in Sav ...

''), with a diverse understory. The community is fire-dependent, shaped by annual, low-intensity fires. * Cork oak (''

Quercus suber ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the core ...

'') woodlands in the

Mediterranean region In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...

. * Blue oak woodland is found in the inner coast ranges and the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primar ...

foothills in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, surrounding the Central Valley.C. Michael Hogan (2008
''Blue Oak: Quercus douglasii'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
They form what some refer to as a bathtub ring. Primary species are blue oak ('' Q. douglasii'') and interior live oak ('' Q. wizlizeni''), with gray pine (''

Pinus sabiniana ''Pinus sabiniana'' (sometimes spelled ''P. sabineana''), with vernacular names including towani pine, foothill pine, gray pine, bull pine, and digger pine, is a pine endemic to California in the United States. Some sources discourage using the ...

''), California buckeye ('' Aesculus californica''), and western redbud (''

Cercis occidentalis ''Cercis occidentalis'', the western redbud or California redbud (syn. ''Cercis orbiculata'' — Greene), is a small tree or shrub in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is found across the American Southwest, from California to Utah and Arizona. I ...

''). Blue oak woodlands cover about of the state of California, and of this area about 79%, or , shows no evidence of past cutting of trees. * In California's

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

oak woodlands exist between 60 and 700 meters in elevation. There are three main geographic regions for oak woodlands in California. North of the Central Valley, Central Valley Foothills and Coastal Range, and South of the Central Valley. California Valley oak woodland holds valley oak (''

Quercus lobata ''Quercus lobata'', commonly called the valley oak or roble, grows into the largest of California oaks. It is endemic to California, growing in interior valleys and foothills from Siskiyou County to San Diego County. Mature specimens may attain ...

''), California sycamore (''

Platanus racemosa ''Platanus racemosa'' is a species of plane tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, western sycamore, California plane tree, and in North American Spanish aliso. ''Platanus racemosa'' is native to California and Baja ...

''), black walnut (''

Juglans nigra ''Juglans nigra'', the eastern American black walnut, is a species of deciduous tree in the walnut family, Juglandaceae, native to North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south ...

''), California boxelder, and Fremont cottonwood (''

Populus fremontii ''Populus fremontii'', commonly known as Frémont's cottonwood, is a cottonwood (and thus a poplar) native to riparian zones of the Southwestern United States and northern through central Mexico. It is one of three species in ''Populus'' sect ...

''). This woodland can be found between 500 and 1700 meters above sea level. The soils are deep and made from alluvium.

References

{{Reflist Forest ecology Quercus