Oak Savanna

An oak savanna is a type of savanna, or lightly forested grassland, where oaks (Quercus spp.) are the dominant tree species. These savannas were maintained historically through wildfires set by lightning or humans, grazing, low precipitation, poor soil, and/or fires set by Native Americans. Although there are pockets of oak savanna almost anywhere in North America where oaks are present, there are three major oak savanna areas: 1) California and Oregon in the west; 2) Southwestern United States and Mexico; and 3) the prairie/forest border of the Midwest. There are also extensive regions of oak savannas in Portugal and Spain.