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AMERICAN FOREST TREES 



Willow oak is much used in the South, but usually under the name 

 red oak. Lumbermen seldom speak of it as willow oak. The species is 

 as highly developed in Louisiana as anywhere else, and the uses found 

 for the wood in that state will probably be found for it wherever the 

 tree grows in commercial quantities. A report on the manufacture of 

 wooden commodities in Louisiana, published in 1912, listed the following 

 uses for willow oak: Agricultural implements, balustrades, bar tops, 

 bedsteads, bottoms for wagon beds, bridge approaches and floors, chairs, 

 church pews, cot frames, doors, floors, frames, interior finish, molding, 

 newel posts, pulpits, railing, screens, slack cooperage, stairwork, store 

 fixtures, wagon axles, and other vehicle parts. 



These uses coincide nearly with those of red oak, and indicate the 

 important position occupied by willow oak in the country's industries. 

 Those who handle the wood complain that its seasoning qualities are 

 poor, and that care is necessary to bring satisfactory results. It works 

 nicely and stands well after the seasoning is accomplished. 



Willow oak grows rapidly. It is doubtful if any oak in this country 

 surpasses it. It wants damp, rich soil and a warm climate, to do its 

 best. Some of the bottom lands in the lower Mississippi valley have 

 produced splendid stands of willow oak, the trunks being tall and clear 

 of limbs, and the wood sound. 



The willow oak is much planted for ornamental purposes in the 

 southern states. It manages to keep alive when planted as far north as 

 Massachusetts, but the grace of its form is not fully developed much 

 north of the Potomac river. It is a common street tree in the South, and 

 its airy foliage forms a pleasing contrast with the heavy, dark-green of 

 the magnolia. 



