Editing Quercus kelloggii (section)

==Ecology==
The California black oak is a critical species for [[wildlife]]. Oaks (''Quercus'' spp.) may be the single most important genus used by wildlife for food and cover in California forests and rangelands,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/quekel/all.html|title=Quercus kelloggii|website=www.fs.fed.us|access-date=2019-05-27}}</ref> and California black oak occupies more total area in California than any other hardwood species. Livestock also make heavy use of this species for food and cover.

[[Image:Quercus kelloggii (tree).jpg|thumb|Young California black oaks]]

Older trees affected by [[heart rot]] have cavities which provide den or nest sites<ref name=":022" /> for [[owl]]s, various [[woodpecker]]s, [[tree squirrel]]s, and [[American black bear]]s. Trees provide valuable shade for livestock and wildlife during the hot summer. California black oak forest types are heavily used for spring, summer, and fall cover by black bears.

It is browsed by [[deer]] and livestock.<ref>{{cite book |last=Whitney |first=Stephen |title=Western Forests (The Audubon Society Nature Guides) |date=1985 |publisher=Knopf |location=New York |isbn=0-394-73127-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/westernforests00whit/page/396 396] |url=https://archive.org/details/westernforests00whit/page/396 }}</ref> Acorns are heavily used by livestock, mule deer, feral [[pig]]s, rodents, [[mountain quail]], [[Steller's jay]]s, and woodpeckers. Acorns constitute an average of 50% of the fall and winter diets of [[western gray squirrel]]s and [[black-tailed deer]] during good mast years. Fawn survival rates increase or decrease with the size of the acorn crop.

It is a preferred foraging substrate for many birds. All of 68 bird species observed in oak woodlands of the [[Tehachapi Mountains]] of California used California black oak for part of their foraging activities. [[Acorn woodpecker]], [[Bullock's oriole]], and [[Nashville warbler]] show strong preferences for California black oak. The [[parasitic plant]] [[Phoradendron villosum|Pacific mistletoe]] (''Phoradendron villosum''), which commonly grows on this oak, produces berries that attract birds, as well.<ref name="FEIS"/>

Many animals [[Cache (biology)|cache]] the acorns, and acorns that have been stored in the ground or otherwise buried are more likely to sprout than those that remain on the surface.<ref name="FEIS"/>

The tree is adapted to wildfire. It is protected from smaller fires by its thick bark. If it is top-killed and burned away in a larger fire, it easily resprouts and has a good supply of nutrients and water stored in its root system.<ref name="FEIS"/> Acorns sprout into seedlings after fire, and sites that have been cleared of canopy and [[leaf litter]] in fires are ideal for seedling success.<ref name="FEIS"/>

The tree is less [[shade tolerant]] than its associate [[ponderosa pine]].<ref name=":022" /> It is vulnerable to [[sudden oak death]].<ref name="FEIS"/>