An
oak woodland is, not surprisingly, a
wooded area filled with oaks. In an oak woodland the cover of oak is fairly high.. if oaks are very widely spaced, it is considered a
savannah. An area will only be considered an oak woodland if the main trees are oaks; if the forest consists mainly of other
hardwoods it may be considered a
mixed broadleaf forest. In California, oak woodlands generally consist of a
Live Oak such as
Quercus agrifolia or a
deciduous oak, such as Valley oak (
Quercus lobata) or Blue Oak. These oak woodlands are known for containing many native
bunchgrasses, and although many have been invaded by alien species such as
Wild Oats, the areas under the oaks usually remain filled with native grasses, such as
Nasella pulchra. Apparently, the oak trees bring water to the surface and supply shade for these plants, and also may transfer nutrients to them via
mycorrhizae. Apparently, the oaks don't share with the non-natives... The oaks are central to the ecosystems, 'pinning down' everyday functions here. Unfortunately, in some areas, oaks are not recruiting very well, due to
grazing or
fire supression.
also found in these ecosytems, and not to be confused with oak, is poison oak. The best way to distinguish these is that poison oak has leaves in 3-s and regular oak does not.