Why Swamp White Oak?
Let’s start with what makes this tree special: acorns. Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) acorns are nutrient-rich and attract deer, waterfowl, and upland game birds. If you’re planting food plots or setting up deer stands, swamp white oak should be in the ground nearby.
I added swamp white oak to my system primarily for wildlife benefit. Any timber value is secondary, though it’s worth noting that swamp white oak produces quality lumber if you’re patient enough to wait 50-60 years. But I’m not planting these for my retirement. I’m planting them because wildlife needs mast, and swamp white oak delivers in this regard, and delivers faster than most other oaks.
The foliage is attractive, and the shape is round when mature. I’ve noticed swamp white oak commonly planted in local parks within the past few years, likely because of their nice appearance and broad appeal as a shade tree.
The Propagation Project
In fall of 2024 I decided to start growing more seedlings. I collected swamp white oak acorns from local areas—probably 200+ acorns total. I have no idea if the parent trees have superior genetics or below average, just collected from whatever swamp white oaks happen to grow in the area.
I planted them in a 2×8 foot air pruning bed, 10 inches deep, with a 2-foot tall chicken wire cover (1-inch mesh) for protection from rodents and deer. The seedlings went through their first growing season in 2025, and now they’re heeled in for winter. By spring 2026, they’ll be heading into their second growing season at about 1-2 feet tall.
My plan is to start planting some of these in spring 2026 for wildlife benefit, and maybe someday having timber value. If there are extras, we may pot and sell them.
The Economics of Growing Your Own
For the 200 seedlings, my costs were:
- Acorns: free (just my time collecting)
- Air pruning bed materials: maybe $100 if you’re building from scratch
- Potting soil and containers (if selling any): maybe $200
- Time: significant, but I enjoy it
So I’m looking at maybe $300 in costs, assuming I sell any. If I end up planting them all, then the only cost is the air pruning bed and the time spent collecting. And the air pruning bed costs are a one-time expense, hopefully I can use it for multiple years. So I don’t think that’s too bad for a side project that I enjoy.
If I were buying 200 trees at $32 each from a nursery, I’d be spending $6,400. Growing my own brings that down to a few hundred dollars in materials and my time. Even if only half of my seedlings survive and thrive, I’m way ahead financially.
Our Original White Oak Planting
We just started collecting swamp white oak acorns within the past two years. Our original swamp white oak plantings on the property were two Forrest Keeling Bucks Unlimited™ selections in 2015. We added two more in 2018. All four of these trees are 12-14 feet tall and dropping acorns.
The Bucks Unlimited™ selection is famous for mast production. It produces twice as much as other oak species. Twice. That’s a lot of acorns. Here’s what ten years of growth looks like – the 2015 trees are about 12-14 feet tall now. The 2018 trees are the same height. That’s roughly 1.5-3 feet of growth per year, which is fast for an oak. All four trees started producing acorns around year 6.
I can’t give you exact acorn counts because I haven’t sat under the trees with a bucket, but there are acorns. Enough that I notice them. Enough that something is eating them, though it’s too early in my planting to measure actual wildlife consumption. My guess is they’re eaten pretty quickly.
One important clarification: Bucks Unlimited™ is a selection, not a grafted cultivar. That means Forrest Keeling grows these from seed collected from superior parent trees. You’re getting better genetics than random woods seedlings, but each tree is still genetically unique. It’s similar to “improved seedlings” versus true grafted clones.
The growth rate on these Bucks Unlimited™ trees has been impressive—likely faster than any wild seedlings I’ll grow from my collected acorns. Whether that’s the superior parent genetics, Forrest Keeling’s RPM® (root production method) growing system, or both, I can’t say for sure. But they’ve outperformed my expectations.
Where They Go in the System
My original 4 swamp white oaks are planted on the edge of the chestnut planting area. Future seedlings will go on woody edges around the property..
Here’s why edge plantings make sense for swamp white oak: they’re medium to big trees. At maturity, swamp white oak can reach 60 feet tall with a 60-foot spread. You don’t want that shading out your chestnuts or taking over your pasture. But on edges—along fence lines, near woods, bordering food plots—they’re perfect. And, deer do spend significant time in edge areas.
One thing that surprised me: swamp white oak tolerates typical pasture conditions just fine. The name “swamp” makes you think it needs wet feet, and it’s true that swamp white oak tolerates wet soils better than most oaks. But it also does well in normal, well-drained soil. I haven’t planted any in truly wet areas yet, but the four I have in regular pasture conditions are thriving.
The Wildlife Equation
I can’t yet prove these trees are making a measurable difference for wildlife on my property. The acorns are likely being eaten quickly—deer, turkeys, squirrels, something is taking them—but I haven’t set up trail cameras or done formal observation.
What I can tell you is this: mast production matters. Deer need mast. Wild turkeys need mast. If you’re managing habitat for wildlife, you need trees that produce nuts. Oak acorns are one of the most important food sources for wildlife in the Midwest, and swamp white oak produces more acorns than most species.
The Bucks Unlimited™ selection producing twice as much as other oaks? That’s a big deal when you’re trying to support a deer population or attract birds. More mast means more wildlife, longer into the season, with better body condition going into winter.
What I’d Do Differently
If I were starting over, I’d plant more swamp white oaks earlier. Four trees, even Bucks Unlimited™ selections producing twice the mast, aren’t enough to make a real impact on wildlife across 40 acres. But the few that I did plant are off to a strong start and should be wildlife magnets for years to come. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, swamp white oaks can live for 350 years, so I have 29 ½ more decades to enjoy this heavy acorn producer.
Swamp white oak is excellent, but different oaks drop acorns at different times. Planting multiple oak species extends the mast season and provides more consistent food for wildlife. Hence a big reason why we’re propagating several oak species.
And I’d start the propagation project sooner. Growing 200 seedlings in year one is manageable. Growing 500-1000 over several years would give enough trees to really establish wildlife corridors and edge plantings across the property, and maybe sell a few if we can.
The Bottom Line
If you’re planning a tree planting for wildlife benefit, swamp white oak should be high on your list. The Bucks Unlimited™ selection gives you superior genetics and mast production for ~$32 per tree. That’s expensive compared to non-selection seedlings, but it’s a one-time cost for a tree that will produce sweet acorns for decades.
If you’re willing to propagate your own seedlings from collected acorns, you can establish swamp white oak across your property for the cost of materials and your time. Your trees won’t have the proven genetics of Bucks Unlimited™, but they’ll still produce acorns and support wildlife.
Plant them on edges, not in the middle of production areas. They get big, and you don’t want them competing with your rows of nut trees or other crops. But along fence lines, near woods, bordering food plots, or in wet areas where other trees struggle, swamp white oak is a winner.
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