How Fast Does a White Oak Tree Grow?

Growth Rate

• The white oak tree (Quercus alba) is considered to have a slow to medium growth rate. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, trees that grow slowly are those that grow less than 13 inches annually, while medium growth constitutes a range of 13 to 24 inches per year. The white oak typically achieves a mature height of between 50 and 80 feet with a canopy spread of the same number of feet.

Environment

• This shade tree initially grows into a pyramidal shape, then matures to a more oval appearance. The white oak thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness zones 3 through 9, an area that encompasses most of the country aside from extreme tropical locations. In order to achieve its fastest rate of growth, the tree demands a mixture of full sunshine and partial shade, along with slightly acidic or neutral, deep, moist and well-drained soil.

Planting

• White oaks tend to grow especially slowly when they are younger. The tree often attains a height of only 10 to 15 feet in its first 10 to 12 years of life. Older specimens are capable of developing a trunk as wide as 6 feet in diameter. Transplant the tree only when it is immature and small as its significant root system snakes extensively through the earth with age. Planting of new seedlings should occur only in the spring.

Fun Facts

• The wood of the white oak is regularly used for shipbuilding, cabinet-making, furniture, flooring and wine casks. It is the state tree of Connecticut, Illinois and Maryland and normally lives well over 100 years. Like all species of oak, the white oak is also prized for the protein-rich acorns that are consumed by animals, humans, birds and insects alike. The tree offers the best production of acorns between 50 and 80 years of age; after that point, acorn production begins to drastically slow.