Texas Live Oak Savannah

Texas Live Oak Savannah. . , Distribution in Texas , Live oak (Quercus virginiana) is among the most distinctive and longest-lived trees in the Texas landscape, living for hundreds of years in some cases. Live oaks thrive in varied environmental conditions across the state, as shown on the map below., The live oak savannah, a common landscape in Texas when European settlers arrived, presents a mixture of grasses, shrubs and trees, providing habitat for a wide range of native wildlife. Tree and shrub growth was limited by animal browsing and naturally occurring wildfires. Native Americans also managed the savannah with fire. European settlers suppressed savannah fires and reduced grass fuel loads through the widespread introduction of cattle and sheep. Under these conditions woody species thrive and form brush thickets. The savannah you see here is managed as a place where trees and shrubs coexist with grasses.