Why Young White Oaks Are Disappearing Across Appalachia

By Blake Jackson

University of Kentucky researcher Sybil Gotsch is applying decades of rainforest research experience to help solve a growing concern in Appalachia: the decline of young white oak trees.

Known among forestry experts as the “white oak problem,” the issue centers on the lack of middle-aged white oaks. While seedlings continue to emerge and mature trees remain abundant, many young oaks fail to develop into saplings and canopy trees. This trend has raised concerns among ecologists, foresters, wildlife managers, and Kentucky’s bourbon industry.

“The stakes go well beyond the forest,” said Gotsch, an associate professor of forest ecophysiology in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

“White oak acorns are a food source for deer and turkey, and the trunks provide roosts for bats. The wood is also essential for furniture, flooring and cabinetry.”

White oak is also critical to bourbon production because federal regulations require bourbon to be aged in new charred white oak barrels.

According to the White Oak Initiative’s 2021 assessment, many mature white oak forests lack sufficient seedlings and saplings to sustain future populations.

Gotsch and colleagues John Lhotka and Lance Vickers describe the challenge as two developmental bottlenecks that prevent young trees from reaching maturity. Unlike many researchers who focus on forest conditions, Gotsch is examining the physiological processes within the trees themselves.

“There are several possibilities,” Gotsch said. “One is drought stress. Young oaks stuck beneath the shade of taller trees may not be getting enough water or light to push through to the canopy, especially during dry summers. Another possibility is what scientists call an allocation problem - the tree might be putting its energy into roots or defenses instead of growing taller. Then there is a third factor, which could be competition.”

Drawing on techniques developed while studying forests in Costa Rica and Mexico, Gotsch is collecting data directly from tree canopies in Kentucky. “It feels like this secret world that I have the great honor to be able to study,” Gotsch said.

“You think it works a certain way, and then you get up there and realize you were completely wrong,” Gotsch said. “That's what I love about this work it never stops raising new questions.”

Photo Credit: gettyimages-paul-hartley