Fagaceae -- Beech family

    Philip M. McDonald

    Blue oak (Quercus douglasii), named for its blue-green  foliage, is also known as iron oak, mountain white oak, or  mountain oak. This species is currently underutilized and  unmanaged. Silvicultural systems for it are unknown. Blue oak is  often found in extensive open stands in the interior foothills  where it grows slowly on dry, loamy, gravelly, or rocky soils. It  is used locally for fenceposts and fuelwood, and the acorns are  an important food for several kinds of wildlife.