#Quercus rubra.#--The red oak is one of the important climax species of the area. At present it is largely confined to a ravine in the northeastern part of the section. The woodland here is less disturbed than on most other parts of the Reservation, and red oak is the dominant species. There are large trees, rather evenly distributed, growing on east-facing and west-facing slopes. Just east of the Reservation, in the "Wall Creek" area, the small valley on either side of the creek and the adjacent lower slopes are dominated by giant red oaks larger than any now growing on the Reservation. Farther up the slope in the area of limestone outcrops, dominance shifts to chestnut oak. That red oaks of similar size, and even larger, formerly occurred on the Reservation, at least in the area still dominated by the species, is shown by the presence of a stump 49 inches in diameter, now in an advanced state of decay. [Illustration: Fig. 6. Map of Reservation showing present distribution of black oak (smaller dots) and red oak (larger dots). Neither species is spreading and both are thought to be largely confined to the area that was wooded before 1860.] The large acorns of the red oak are a favorite food of the gray squirrel, which is most numerous on the parts of the Reservation where these trees are present. The red-headed woodpecker on the area tends to concentrate its activities where there are red oaks. The fox squirrel, white-footed mouse, and blue jay are important consumers of the acorns of red oak. A pair of barred owls resided in the deep woods formed by these oaks and the associated trees. #Quercus velutina.#--Black oak is one of the dominant species of the original forest climax, and is still one of the more important trees of the woodland. Like chestnut oak it shows little tendency to spread beyond its present limits. Wherever there are small trees there are old mature trees or remains of them nearby. For this reason the present distribution of black oak on the area is thought to fall entirely within the area occupied by the original forest. At present it occurs throughout most of the woodland except in the warmer and drier situations, such as on south slopes. In some hilltop situations it is common, with occasional large mature trees. In some parts of the bottomland and lower slopes it is abundant also, but there are scarcely any on the upper dry rocky slopes that are the preferred habitat of chestnut oak. Growth in the black oak is somewhat more rapid than in the chestnut oak, as the black oak usually grows on better soil. For 15 the average growth amounted to 3.21 annual rings per inch of trunk diameter.