Before we give you oak height measurements, we will first tell you some interesting facts about oaks. Oaks come in many varieties, which can reach different heights from forty full-length feet to a hundred. In many forests, red oaks grow straight and tall, reaching a maximum height of 90 to a staggering 140 feet, with trunks reaching 2 to 3 feet in diameter.
Oak trees normally grow to heights between 50 and 70 feet. the tallest oak trees are white oaks, and they grow to heights of nearly 150 feet. An oak tree experiences the majority of its growth during the first 20-25 years of its life, and it grows much more slowly after that.
When grown outdoors, northern red oak will not grow as tall (60 to 75 feet), but will produce a wider trunk, up to 7 feet in diameter. The white oak tree grows taller than it when it is not crowded, usually reaching a height of 50 to 100 feet, and it grows shorter at higher altitudes. White oak trees typically grow to 50-80 feet tall, but can grow up to 100 feet tall. White oak grows in the cooler climates of Canada and the eastern and midwestern regions of the United States. The tall, slender oak tree was seventy-five feet tall.
A live oak tree can grow up to 60 feet tall by spreading its branches to create a 120 foot wide shade. The live oak gets its name from the fact that it is an evergreen tree, not a deciduous tree like most other oak species. The live oak is a semi-evergreen plant that sheds its leaves at the end of winter but is immediately replaced by new leaves. Most oak species are deciduous, which means they shed their leaves each year, but there are also evergreen species.
Oak Trees Are an Integral Part of Many Ecosystems
Oaks don’t just support wildlife…they’re also home to epiphytes (air plants) in addition to Spanish moss – things like night-blooming saguaro (pictured below) and staghorn fern. Quercus alba reaches a moderate height of 65-85 feet at maturity, taking about 20 years to reach this tree species, although it can take 50 years to produce a significant amount of acorns.
Slow White Oak (Quercus alba) is a tall deciduous tree that grows up to 100 feet tall. White oaks can live 500 to 600 years, grow up to 18 inches per year, and reach a full height of 80 feet. California White Oak, known as Valley Oak, is one of the tallest oak varieties on the West Coast, reaching a height of about 40-70 feet when fully mature and 60 feet wide. A native of Texas, Nuttall Oak is the fastest growing oak of all oak species, growing to 70 feet tall and 40 feet wide, growing over two feet a year every year.
Known for their rapid growth, the sawtooth oak is one of the fastest growing young oaks, sometimes reaching 3 to 5 feet per year. Unlike the more demanding sawtooth oak, the sawtooth oak is adaptable and does well in harsh soil conditions; however, if you are planting in highly alkaline sandy or rich soil, be sure to use moderate fertilizer and mulch things to promote growth.
Adapted to all but alkaline soil types, the fan oak is a popular shade tree known for its dark foliage that turns yellow to golden brown in the fall. Nuttall Oak is a classic oak tree with an enlarged shape due to its taller branches extending upwards, middle branches extending outwards, and lower branches growing toward the ground.
Notes on Other Oak Species
Black oak has an open canopy and a tall, straight trunk. It is generally considered slow growing, but in fertile sites with enough moisture, it can grow two to three feet per year after a few years of rooting.
One of the benefits of adding oak to your landscape is that it is one of the fastest growing shade trees, growing at a rate of two to three feet per year under ideal conditions. Oak trees are often wild and not used for landscaping because they are difficult to replant. Only in the U.S. does the burra oak grow from the coast of North Carolina to Wyoming and New Mexico.
It is sometimes called the Southern Live Oak. This is an excellent habitat for wildlife, although it takes a considerable amount of time for acorns to start producing – usually 20 years or more. The tree has a short lifespan, with an expected lifespan of only 30 to 50 years, although it grows vigorously and quickly reaches mature heights.
Oak Forests and Wood
Oak forests are beautiful at every stage of their long life, with silver-grey branches on young trees growing from huge trunks to incredibly long, thick trees. The southern red oak puts on a show in the fall, as its leaves change from bright green to golden red and brown.
This wood is considered to be one of the finest types of red oak, with particularly good results when used with lathes. The wood of this tree has good rot resistance and is quite dense, sometimes considered inferior to other white oaks. Quercus nigra, the water oak, grows in the southeastern United States and, like most other oaks, is a lowland tree that lives predominantly in swamps and shallows, although Quercus nigra can reach a height of 1,500 feet.
China, with about 100 species of oak trees, is the main oak growing hotspot outside North America. The tree stands 70 to 80 feet tall and gains new growth at a rate of 25 feet every 20 years, according to Clemson University Extension.