05/02/2026
I have a client that has many oak savanna’s on their property. It’s one of the most peaceful places. Quiet breeze pushes thru the open canopy. Deer bed on the edges. The hot summer air is tempered under the thick leaf cover. Pretty serene. 😌
Also known as oak savannas, oak openings are open savanna communities that combine prairie elements with a robust oak cover, usually of the white, bur or chinquapin variety. Black oaks and shagbark hickory may be present, too.
Throughout history, these oak openings experienced frequent surface fires, which cleared the subcanopy and burned most taller shrubs, literally blazing a pathway for native wildflowers, along with grasses and sedges, to dominate the landscape between the established oaks.
This confluence of circumstances creates ideal conditions for a wide array of plants, animals, insects and birds, several of which require these specific conditions to survive or thrive.
As Wisconsin developed, many oak openings were turned into farm fields and small settlements. Furthermore, fire suppression became standard practice, extinguishing the very fires required to sustain these communities.
Today, oak openings are among the rarest plant communities in the Upper Midwest, with very few high-quality sites remaining. Of those that do remain, a vast majority are within (67%) or immediately adjacent to (77%) state natural areas.
Although they are not plants or animals, oak openings deserve a spot on this list, as their presence within SNAs allows for the combination of prescribed fires and careful management by DNR staff and volunteers that keeps these critical communities strong.
Learn more about Wisconsin's state natural areas and the remarkable species they help protect in the latest issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine: https://issuu.com/wisconsinnaturalresources/docs/wisconsin_natural_resources_magazine_spring_2026/s/154416529
Photo Credit: Thomas Meyer
