Trying to ID White Oak , pics attached

[chainsaw_louie]

Hi,

We are in need of white oak to do some restoration work on a barn.  We have lots of trees but I am not 100% sure which are White Oak.  Can you take a look at these pics and tell me your opinion or give me some things to look for to ID the tree in winter.

Do either of these look like white oak to you ?





Thanks.

[thecfarm]

I'm just trying to figure this out too. Don't listen to me.  ;D  Others will be posting that can do a much better job than me.
Almost looks like Black oak,Quercus velutina. The picture I have of white oak,Quercus alba,has rough bark. looks like I could pick the bark off the tree.looks flaky,for no better wood.The bark kinda curls up on it some.

[Rob Bocik]

Need some pictures of the leaves please

[thecfarm]

Pictures of leaves will have to wait until maybe May. He still has snow on the ground there.  ;D

[mesquite buckeye]

Check the ground for dead leaves, get twig pictures, maybe an acorn on the ground....

[Axe Handle Hound]

They both look like "white" oaks to me.  Especially the second one. 

[beenthere]

And neither look like white oaks to me.  ;D

Pics of twigs, and some from a bit further away would also help, along with the diameter of the trees shown in the pics.
Young and old, and small and large have different bark characteristics.

[SPIKER]

The top pic looks like "White Oak" to me they typically have larger rounded leaves (6" or so long) where as Red Oak has smaller (3" or so long) and sharp lobes.   Our Red Oak also has more of a diamond pattern in their bark generally (not as much so as pig-nut hickory) "more meandering" a bout the same size as the leaves in width.

this is one on my place but of poor pic quality as it was from the OLD forum when size was much more limited.  (NOTE I modified & updated the photo for a bit better view)



hope that helps.

Mark

[ArborJake]

 I dont think there is black oak in NY. But Im dumb.

[WDH]

Mark,

Did you intend the pic to be of a red oak or a white oak? 

The original poster's pics do not look like white to me, either.  A pic looking more up the trunk of the tree, and a pic of a bud at the end of a twig would help.

[Slab Slicer]

That bark looks alot like the big red oak I dropped a couple weeks ago. Here's a pic of the second cut log. JMHO though. 



 

[thecfarm]

The only oak I have on my land is red,and that don't look like the red that I have on my land.

[Slab Slicer]

I'll have to get some better pics of the one I dropped. Maybe I've mis IDed it. I know it smells like red thought. No branches left to help ID it.

[chainsaw_louie]

OK , thanks for the responses.  I went to google images and put in "red oak bark" and "white oak bark"  and if all the pictures are truly correct , there is a lot of variation of bark  within each species.  Have a look:

white oak
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1440&bih=770&q=white+oak+bark&oq=white+oak+bark&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l9.108869.111407.2.112767.8.8.0.0.0.0.228.802.4j3j1.8.0...0.0...1ac.1.5.img.-T-FiHyNS8I

Red Oak
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1440&bih=770&q=white+oak+bark&oq=white+oak+bark&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l9.108869.111407.2.112767.8.8.0.0.0.0.228.802.4j3j1.8.0...0.0...1ac.1.5.img.-T-FiHyNS8I#hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=red+oak+bark&oq=red+oak+bark&gs_l=img.12...0.0.4.6197.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1c..5.img.h_Yoyl2W7Hs&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43287494,d.dmQ&fp=cf228dbf1aa729b&biw=1440&bih=770

there seems to be a difference, just got to keep looking and train my eye.

[Slab Slicer]

 Barks of the same tree will vary by region, and appear to be different species.

I hope one of the experts can tell by the twigs of the tree.

[OneWithWood]

Both look like the black oaks around here.  Black oak is in the red oak family.  The bark of the Northern Red is totally different.
If you can get under the bark in a small spot and the cambium is bright yellow that will confirm it as black oak.

[rambo]

My money is on Black Oak. Take a knife and carve away the the bark until you hit the cambuim. If it is yellow then you have black oak if not then I would say you are into the white oak family. That does not look like the bark of Red oak. Black Oak can be sold as red oak but a lumber mill will tell you it is of lower value.