Purdue University - Extension - Forestry and Natural Resources
Explore the Rich World of Oaks with Purdue FNR Extension & Partners
Discover a comprehensive suite of oak-focused resources curated by Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources Extension to support landowners, educators and natural resource professionals. From expert-reviewed publications and engaging videos to insightful webinars and podcasts, our oak resources cover everything from species identification and forest stewardship to wildlife habitat management and oak regeneration techniques. Whether you’re interested in planting oak seedlings, managing oak-hickory ecosystems or learning about threats like oak wilt and invasive beetles, our collection offers practical, science-based information to help you steward Indiana’s iconic oak landscapes. Dive into our library and grow your knowledge of these vital forest giants.Getting Started:
Forest Stewardship Practices for Oak-Hickory Ecosystems in Indiana – discover how oak woodland stewardship can enhance biodiversity and resilience (14.7MB pdf).
ID That Tree – explore 17 oak species in the Purdue Extension – Forestry & Natural Resources (FNR) video series.
Discover More Oak Resources:
Videos & Webinars
- Purdue Extension – Forestry & Natural Resources YouTube Channel
- ID That Tree: Shingle Oak
- ID That Tree: Red Oak Group
- ID That Tree: White Oak Group
- ID That Tree: Post Oak
- ID That Tree: Cherrybark Oak
- ID That Tree: Blackjack Oak
- ID That Tree: Northern Pin Oak
- ID That Tree: Pin Oak
- ID That Tree: Bur Oak
- ID That Tree: Scarlet Oak
- ID That Tree: Overcup Oak
- ID That Tree: Swamp White Oak
- ID That Tree: Honey Locust/Burr Oak
- ID That Tree: Black Oak
- ID That Tree: Chestnut Oak
- ID That Tree: Chinkapin Oak
- ID That Tree: White Oak
- Woodland Management Moment: Oak Regeneration – Protecting Seedlings
- Wildlife Habitat Hint: Oak Shelterwood
- Wildlife Responses to Timber Harvesting, FNR 543-WV
- Woodland Stewardship for Landowners Video Series
- The Nature of Oaks Webinar, Purdue Extension-FNR YouTube Channel, Shared from Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association (IFWOA)
- Magnificent Trees of Indiana Webinar, Purdue Extension-FNR YouTube Channel, Shared from Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association (IFWOA)
- Forestry for the Birds Virtual Tour, Purdue Extension, Pond & Wildlife Management, Forest Management
- Forest Birds, FNR-518-WV, Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment
- Sustaining Our Oak-Hickory Forests, FNR-542-WV, Purdue Extension YouTube Channel
- Toms, Tines and Tanagers: Forest Management for Game Species, Illinois Extension Forestry
Extension Publications
- Forest Stewardship Practices for Oak-Hickory Ecosystems in Indiana (13.83 MB pdf), Purdue Extension Pond & Wildlife Management
- Red Oak, FNR-288-W, Hardwood Lumber and Veneer Series (1.2 MB pdf), The Education Store
- White Oak, FNR-292-W, Hardwood Lumber and Veneer Series (1.39 MB pdf), The Education Store
- Natural Oak Regeneration Following Clearcutting on the Hoosier National Forest, FNR-260-W, The Education Store
- Enrichment Planting of Oaks, FNR-225, The Education Store
- Tree Diseases: Oak Wilt in Indiana, BP-28-W, The Education Store
- Planting Forest Tree and Shrubs in Indiana, FNR-IDNR-36 (2.5 MB pdf), The Education Store
- White paper – Addressing Concerns About Management of Indiana’s Forests
- Forest Management for Reptiles and Amphibians: A Technical Guide for the Midwest, The Education Store
- The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Indiana Forestry & Wildlife, The Education Store
- America’s Least Wanted Wood-Borers: Oak Ambrosia Beetle, WB-08-W, The Education Store
- America’s Least Wanted Wood-Borers: Oak Splendor Beetle, WB-01-W, The Education Store
- America’s Least Wanted Wood-Borers: European Oak Bark Beetle, WB-09-W, The Education Store
News Articles & Blog Posts
- Publication Teaches Landowners How to Support Oak-Hickory Systems, Purdue FNR News & Stories
- Research Aims to Assist with Southern Live Oak Restoration, Purdue FNR News & Stories
- HTIRC Partners with Tree Pro to Distribute Hardwood Seedlings, Purdue FNR News & Stories
- Smooth Patch of Oak, Purdue Landscape Report
- Leaf Curl and Leaf Blister Brought By Wet Weather, Purdue Landscape Report
- Inonotus Dryadeus – Butt and Root Rot of Oaks, Purdue Landscape Report
- Oak Leaf Tatters – a spring ritual, Purdue Landscape Report
- Learn How to Support Oak – Hickory Ecosystems, Purdue Extension – FNR
Podcasts
- Forest Management for Birds: An Introduction to the Series, Habitat University
- From Litter to Glitter: Restoring Oak Woodlands and Savannas with Fire and Thinning (Part 1), Habitat University
- Thick and Juicy: Cover and Food Drive Mature Forest Songbirds’ Use of Clearcuts, Habitat University
- From Litter to Glitter: Restoring Oak Woodlands and Savannas with Fire and Thinning (Part 2), Habitat University
- Forestry for the Birds: Indiana, Habitat University
Purchase Hardwood Seedlings
- Purdue HTIRC Timber Select White Oak Seedling, Tree Pro – HTIRC Timber Select white oak seedling is from an isolated grafted white oak orchard at Purdue University.
- Purdue HTIRC Timber Select Northern Red Oak Seedling (Quercus rubra), Tree Pro – Purdue HTIRC Select Northern Red Oak seedlings are second-generation seedlings from the best performing trees at Purdue in test plantings of over 70 elite parents selected from forests and plantations.
- Purdue HTIRC Wildlife Select Precocious White Oak Seedlings, Tree Pro – select Precocious White Oak Seedlings sourced from six clones in a grafted orchard of white oaks selected for early flowering (nine – ten years).
- Vallonia Tree Seedling Nursery, Indiana DNR Forestry – view “Select” tree seedlings which are grown from seed collected in seed orchards that exhibit the best performance, controlled by the Division of Forestry and Purdue University. Available for Indiana planting only.
Research Publications
- Sarah J. Rademacher, Daniel C. Dey, John M. Kabrick, Robert W. E. Quackenbush, Michael R. Saunders, J. Travis Swaim, Christopher D. Thornton, Michael A. Jenkins. 2025. Regeneration response to shelterwood-burn treatments in a dry oak-dominated forest. For. Sci.
- David P. Mann, Jan K. Wiedenbeck, Daniel C. Dey, and Mike R. Saunders. 2024. Evaluating the impact of prescribed surface fire on seedlings in the Central Hardwood Region, USA. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research, Volume 97, Issue 1, January 2024, Pages 94–106.
- Mike R. Saunders, ORCID,David P. Mann, Shannon Stanis, Jan K. Wiedenbeck, Daniel C. Dey and Thomas M. Schuler. 2023. Prescribed Fire Causes Wounding and Minor Tree Quality Degradation in Oak Forests. Forests 2023, 14(2), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020227 (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute-MDPI link).
- David Mann, Jan Wiedenbeck, Daniel Dey and Mike R. Saunders. 2020. Evaluating Economic Impacts of Prescribed Fire in the Central Hardwood Region Formally Refereed. Journal of Forestry, Scientific Journal, Northern Research Station, https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvaa004. (USDA Forest Service link)
- Skye M. Greenler, Robert K. Swihart and Michael R. Saunders. 2020. Prescribed fire promotes acorn survival and seedling emergence from simulated caches. Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 464, 15 May 2020, 118063, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118063. (ScienceDirect link.)
- Skye M. Greenler and Michael R. Saunders. 2019. Short-term, spatial regeneration patterns following expanding group shelterwood harvests and prescribed fire in the Central Hardwood Region. Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 432, 15 January 2019, Pages 1053-1063. (ScienceDirect Link)
- Shannon Stanis, Jan Wiedenbeck and Mike Saunders. 2019. Effect of Prescribed Fire on Timber Volume and Grade in the Hoosier National Forest. Scientific Journal, Northern Research Station, https://doi.org/10.1093/forsci/fxz039, Forest Science. (USDA Forest Service link)
- Brooke, J. M., P. S. Basinger, J. L. Birckhead, M. A. Lashley, J. M. McCord, J. S. Nanney, and C. A. Harper. 2019. Effects of fertilization and crown release on white oak (Quercus alba) masting and acorn quality. Forest Ecology and Management 433:305–312.
- J. Travis Swaim, Daniel C. Dey, Michael R. Saunders, Dale R. Weigel, Christopher D. Thornton, John M. Kabrick, Michael A. Jenkins. 2018. Overstory species response to clearcut harvest across environmental gradients in hardwood forests. Forest Ecology & Management Vol428, Nov 2018. (ScienceDirect link.)
- Frank GS, Rathfon RA, and Saunders MR. 2018. Ten-year responses of underplanted northern red oak to silvicultural treatments, herbivore exclusion, and fertilization. Forests 9(9): #571. (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute-MDPI link.)
- Belair EP, Saunders MR, and Landhäusser SM. 2018. Growth traits of juvenile American chestnut and red oak as adaptations to disturbance. Restoration Ecology 26(4): 712-719. (Wiley Online Library link.)
Current Research Projects:
Impact of Shade on White Oak (Quercus alba) Seedling Development in Variable Light Conditions
Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC)
A preferred strategy for white oak reforestation is enhancement planting in forest gaps. These gaps vary in size and therefore light availability on the forest floor. The Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC) and White Oak Genetics and Tree Improvement Program (WOGTIP) are working to improve the performance of white oak seedlings through selection and breeding.
Combining Enrichment Planting with Overstory Gaps to Restore Diverse Central Hardwood Forests
Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC)
Oak regeneration is problematic throughout eastern North America and researchers fear that the probability of a large-scale replacement of oak by more shade-tolerant tree species, such as sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia), may be imminent.
Testing Efficacy of Enrichment Plantings for Stand Regeneration in Hardwood Forests
Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC)
A mature central hardwood forest typically consists of hickory, maple, tulip poplar and oak species in the canopy. Oaks have a high economic value and they provide food and habitat for numerous wildlife species. However, many oak species fail to regenerate naturally due to factors such as deer browse and competition with surrounding vegetation.
Additional Partner Resources:
Landowner Resources 
White Oak Initiative (WOI)
WOI helps align research, conservation, and policy in support of forest landowners for sustainable oak management.
Technical Resources
White Oak Initiative
Here you’ll find research and funding opportunities to help you support the health and growth of the oak population on a property you manage.