Tree Species - White Oak Traditional Geocache
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I am placing this series to help you identify the different tree varieties. The cache is hidden at the base of the tree being identified.
White oak is included in a group of oaks categorized by that same name. Other white oak family members include the bur oak, chestnut oak and Oregon white oak. This oak is immediately recognized by rounded lobes plus the lobe tips never have bristles like red oak. Considered the most majestic tree of the eastern hardwoods, the tree is also touted as having the best all-purpose wood.
White oak is an outstanding tree among all trees and is widespread across eastern North America. The most important lumber tree of the white oak group, growth is good on all but the driest shallow soils. Its high-grade wood is useful for many things, an important one being staves for barrels, hence the name stave oak. The acorns are an important food for many kinds of wildlife.
Acorns are a valuable though inconsistent source of wildlife food. More than 180 different kinds of birds and mammals use oak acorns as food. White oak is sometimes planted as an ornamental tree because of its broad round crown, dense foliage, and purplish-red to violet-purple fall coloration. It is less favored than red oak because it is difficult to transplant and has a slow growth rate.
Scientific name: Quercus alba
Pronunciation: kwerk-us alba
Common names: White oak, stave oak
Family: Fagaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 4 through 9
Origin: White oak grows throughout most of the Eastern United States.
Uses: most important lumber tree of the white oak group, sometimes planted as an ornamental tree
Height: 65 to 100 feet
Diameter: 3 to 4 feet or more
Habit: wide-spreading branched oak, rounded crown
Acorns: 3/8-1 1/4" long, egg-shaped, 1/4 enclosed by shallow cap
Leaves: 4-9" long, 2-4" wide, 5-9 lobed, elliptical
Growth Rate: moderate
Landscape value: desirable in most situations
White oak grows throughout most of the Eastern United States. It is found from southwestern Maine and extreme southern Quebec, west to southern Ontario, central Michigan, to southeastern Minnesota; south to western Iowa, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas; east to northern Florida and Georgia. The tree is generally absent in the high Appalachians, in the Delta region of the lower Mississippi, and in the coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana.
The cache container is a 30 cal ammo box. It containes kid friendly trade items and the log book. There is a set of dice for the FTF.
There is a place to safely pull off the road just a few feet before or after the cache, depending which way you are heading.
While I was sitting on the old narrow side road (old logging road) that I had pulled into about 50 feet or so, preparing the container with camo tape, I was amazed at the lack of traffic. In the twenty minutes or so that I was there, not one vehicle drove by. However..... While I was working on the cache, I thought I heard some sort of animal sound, so I looked around a little, but didn't see anything. I continued what I was doing, and heard the sound again. I looked up, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw two horses with riders in my rearview mirror. I got out and asked them if they wanted to get by. The girls moved over to the little clearing beside me so I could back up a bit to let them by. They thanked me, and continued on their way.
GPS'r accuracy was within 20 feet due to heavy tree cover. Please be sure to re-cover the cache so that it can't be seen.
Congrats to Team Yianni for the FTF
Additional Hints
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