My Deer Garden

Plant record · Tree · Fagaceae

Is Sawtooth Oak deer resistant?

Quercus acutissima

Sawtooth Oak
Damage step 3 of 4 · Occasionally Severely Damaged

Partly. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.

Type
Tree
Hardiness
Zones 6–9
Light
Full sun
Height
360–720 in
Bloom
Spring
Maintenance
Low
Family
Fagaceae
Toxic to
horses

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Sawtooth Oak

The oak most often recommended for drawing deer, and the one that needs the biggest caveat.

The appeal is real. Sawtooth bears acorns in five to ten years where a white oak takes twenty or more, it produces heavily and annually, and it drops early enough in September to pull deer in before the native oaks let go. On paper it solves the oak problem.

The caveat is that it is not native, it naturalizes readily, and it is increasingly treated as invasive across the southeast. Several state programs that once promoted it have stopped. This is the same pattern as fall olive: a plant pushed hard to landowners for wildlife value, whose ecological cost showed up a generation later.

If the goal is early mast on ground you own outright, understand the trade before planting it. If native alternatives will do, white oak and chestnut oak carry the same value without the spread, and a Chinese chestnut bears faster than either.

Protecting Sawtooth Oak

Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so decide on the options before it gets browsed rather than after.

  1. 1Protecting a young treeBrowsing costs a season. A buck rubbing a two-inch stem in October girdles it and kills it outright.
  2. 2How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
  3. 3Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
  4. 4Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.

What to plant instead of Sawtooth Oak

Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, and rated better for deer. If Sawtooth Oak keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5.5 to 6.8
Drainage
Well drained
Water
Moderate
Growth rate
Fast
Maintenance
Low

Tolerances and uses

Attracts birds

Where Sawtooth Oak grows

Hardy across 46 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Sawtooth Oak

Is Sawtooth Oak deer resistant?
Sawtooth Oak (Quercus acutissima) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged, step 3 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
What hardiness zones does Sawtooth Oak grow in?
Sawtooth Oak is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Sawtooth Oak grow in shade?
No. Sawtooth Oak wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
How big does Sawtooth Oak get?
Mature height is roughly 360–720 in. Growth rate is fast.
Is Sawtooth Oak toxic to dogs or cats?
Not to dogs or cats — the ASPCA lists Sawtooth Oak as toxic to horses only. The ASPCA does not list it as a risk to dogs or cats.

Browse from here

Every list Sawtooth Oak belongs to.

All trees·Sometimes destroyed·Full sun plants·Mast and fruit trees

Hardy in these zones

Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .