I traveled with an experiential therapy group almost 2 hours last April to Sawnee Mountain Preserve near Cumming, Georgia. There, we climbed a tree. What made this trip special was what we climbed, and how we climbed it. Naturalists at the preserve had a huge white oak tree set up for us, with climbing ropes hanging from the tree’s massive branches. Using special harnesses and rope tying techniques, they rigged the ropes so that while sitting in a harness you could put a foot in a rope loop, press down, advance the harness rope knot, and then advance the foot loop knot. By repeating this procedure over and over, a person could inch up the tree as far as he or she liked. This very interesting and challenging 
activity in a white oak tree not only introduced a life skill but allowed everyone an opportunity to observe nature from a novel angle.
The white oak tree, Quercus alba, is a majestic hardwood native to eastern and central North America. It is the state tree of Connecticut, Illinois, and Maryland, and it can be found on the reverse side of the Connecticut state quarter. The wood is valued for its strength, density, resiliency, low chance of 
splintering, and closed cellular structure making it rot and water resistant. Uses for this hardwood include construction, shipbuilding, agricultural implements, interior finishing of houses, flooring, furniture, and construction of oak barrels for aging wine and whisky. The tree is beautiful and is often used in landscaping of large lots. Many animals depend on the tree’s acorns for food, and two caterpillar species claim the white oak as its only food. It is important to learn to recognize this beautiful and useful tree.
White oak trees may reach heights of over 140 feet in the forest, and in Sweetwater Creek Park near Douglasville, GA there is one that approaches that. Three people would not be able to touch hands surrounding the trunk, and it is pictured last. In the open they typically reach heights of 50 to 80 feet with a canopy as wide. Growth is typically little more than 12 inches per year, with 
much growth occurring underground in the formation of a large tap root. The long, thick trunk divides into massive, spreading branches that form an irregular crown. Bark is light gray, thick, and scaly. It is divided by shallow fissures. Bark tends to form overlapping scales further up the trunk. Leaves are alternate, 5 to 9 inches long, and 2 to 4 inches wide. They are oblong, with 3 to 9 rounded lobes without bristles that match on left and right sides. Sinuses between lobes are also rounded. The main vein ends in a lobe. Leaves are bright green above and pale on the underside. Leaf stalks or petioles are short and stout. Leaf color in autumn is deep red.
Flowers on the white oak tree appear in May, after leaves have appeared. Male flowers are borne on hairy catkins that are 2 to 3 inches long. The calyx is bright yellow and hairy with 6 to 8 lobes. Anthers are yellow. Female flowers are borne on short stalks. At the base of these flowers the calyx lobes are acute. Stigmas are bright red. The fruit formed are acorns, which mature in one season. These nuts are oval or oblong, and round at the apex. They are light chestnut brown, shiny, and about ¾ to 1 inch long. A bowl-shaped cup encloses the top ¼ of the nut. The cup has short scales that become shorter and thinner towards the base, and the base is warty. In most cases, the acorn sprouts roots in the fall and stems and leaves appear the next spring.
The white oak tree belongs to the white oak grouping of oaks. These oaks share common characteristics which are different from the red oak grouping. The differences below are important to know for identification and for consideration of what type of tree or tree product to use for particular purposes:
. White oak acorns are produced in 1 year cycles, unlike the 2-year cycles of red oaks. These acorns contain higher amounts of carbohydrates and are less bitter than red oaks. White oak acorn caps are cup-shaped, not saucer-shaped like red oaks.
. White oak leaves have rounded lobes and sinuses, 
while red oaks have pointed lobes with bristles. In the absence of lobes on white oaks, the leaf is generally symmetrical around a clear median line.
. White oak bark tends to be lighter in color than that of red oak.
. White oak growth ring pores are plugged with tyloses, which makes the lumber water and rot resistant. This lumber is also more dense and less prone to splintering on impact. A cross section of red oak shows growth rings that are open and porous. Oak lumber is usually sold in groupings, not by species.
The tree climbing activity at Sawnee Mountain Preserve will be soon brought to the Youth Villages Inner Harbour campus, to use for therapeutic activities. Money is being solicited for purchase of equipment. The white oak has found yet another important use.
