Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana), a broadleaved deciduous hardwood common inland along the Pacific Coast, has the longest north-south distribution among western oaks-from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to southern California. It is the only native oak in British Columbia and Washington and the principal one in Oregon. Though commonly known as Garry oak in British Columbia, elsewhere it is usually called white oak, post oak, Oregon oak, Brewer oak, or shin oak. Its scientific name was chosen by David Douglas to honor Nicholas Garry, secretary and later deputy governor of the Hudson Bay Company.
1. The Silviculture of Oregon White Oak
R. Merrilees, Illustrator
The wood of Oregon white oak is very dense. The heartwood is at least as durable as that of white oak (Quercus alba). Specialty items, fenceposts, and fuel are now the primary uses of Oregon white oak. The wood is considered one of the best fuels for home heating and commands top prices.
2. Oregon White Oak at Virginia Tech
The tree is a hardwood and the lineal taxonomy is Magnoliopsida > Fagales > Fagaceae > Quercus garryana. Though commonly known as Garry oak in British Columbia, Oregon white oak elsewhere is usually called white oak, post oak, Brewer oak, or shin oak.3. The Range of Oregon White Oak
USFS
The range of Oregon white oak spans more than 15° of latitude from just below the 50th parallel on Vancouver Island in Canada south nearly to latitude 34° N. in Los Angeles County. In small tree and shrub sizes, Oregon white oak extends inland to just east of the Cascade Range, mainly in the Columbia River and Pit River drainages. It has a scattered distribution the entire length of the western Sierra Nevada south to the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern and northern Los Angeles Counties where it forms extensive brush fields at elevations up to 7,500 ft.
