---
title: Quercus Alba
description: Today I learned that there are a little over ten species of Oaks in South Carolina.
slug: white-oak
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  - name: David Windham
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---

Today I learned that there are a little over ten species of Oaks in South Carolina<sub>1,2</sub> while having a tree removed from our yard. Some oaks in the Carolinas are over 1,500 years old while the _Angel Oak_<sub>3</sub> is only 4-500 years old. The one in our yard was a 70 year old white oak or _Quercus Alba_<sub>4</sub>. 

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We're guessing 70 since it was about 115 feet and they grow 12-22 feet per year. The tree started dying several years ago and this year there was no foliage so it was time. We're very lucky to have about fifteen oak trees in our yard. Several of them are southern red oaks ( Quercus falcata )<sub>5</sub>, but the majority are white. We've also got Hickories, Hollies, Elms, Tulip Poplars, Dogwoods, Magnolias, Maples, Cedars, Gums, and a couple Pines.  I've been trying to learn all of the names of the various species of plants in my yard for my [garden notes](/notes/garden)<sub>6</sub>. 

This knocked an item off of my [todo list](/lists/todo)<sub>7</sub> and I was glad to have it done before the stormy summer season since part of the roots were already rotted. Our tree guy Troy<sub>8</sub> has been doing it for a long time starting off with his father in Oregon. He was able to lay it down in about a 10 foot gap without taking out any other trees. It's fun to watch.

<video src="https://davidawindham.com/media/dead_oak.mp4" width="100%" controls="controls">
</video>

---

1. _Oak Factsheet_ - Clemson Cooperative Extension - - <https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/oak/>
2. USDA Field Guide to Native Oak Species - <https://www.fs.usda.gov/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/fieldguide.pdf>
3. Angel Oak - <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Oak>
4. Quercus alba - <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_alba>
5. Quercus falcata - <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_falcata>
6. _Garden_ - TIL/Notes - [notes/garden](notes/garden)
7. _Todo_ - TIL - David A. Windham - [/lists/todo](/lists/todo)
8. Timberline Tree Service - [facebook.com/people/Timberline-Tree-Service-LLC/](https://www.facebook.com/people/Timberline-Tree-Service-LLC/100062993750660/)