Oak Regeneration
Competing species in the white oak range are shading out young white oaks thus preventing regeneration, resulting in a non-sustainable demographic dominated by older trees. Dr. Jeff Larkin is a professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at IUP, as well as the Forest Bird Habitat Coordinator for the American Bird Conservancy. He says: it's just as important for landowners and forest managers to 'look down' as it is to 'look up' when it comes to oak forest management and stewardship. These photos, taken by Dr. Larkin, demonstrate white oak regeneration within the forest understory.