Rare, Protected, California Valley Oak Slabs
California Valley Oak
The Valley Oak is the State tree of California. Also referred to as the California White Oak, it is indigenous to California's Coast Range, Central Valley, and Sierra foothills. The Valley Oak is the largest oak variety in the United States.
Historically, acorns from this majestic tree supported Native American and animal populations. If one hikes along the rivers and streams draining the western slope of the Sierra, it is common to find mortar-like "grinding holes" in exposed bedrock where Native Americans sat and used stone pestles to grind Valley Oak acorns for food.
Valley Oaks are protected, and the wood is only available from trees that die from natural causes. We had the privilege of harvesting a large (BEASTLEY!) specimen that was felled by the significant "atmospheric river" event that helped relieve California's drought on New Years Eve, 2023. This magnificent tree was rooted in what is now the award-winning wine-growing region surrounding Lodi, CA. The tree was harvested as a joint venture between two established Lodi craftsmen: building contractor Carl E. Cox, and arborist Pat Lor. We are making available in the Nashville area a limited number of these exotic slabs.
The tree was mainly slabbed using a chainsaw-driven Alaskan Mill, but where appropriate a Lucas Slabber was called into play. Slabs were purpose-cut to be as large as practical, given the size constraints of equipment available for final kiln- drying and flattening.
Slabs range from 50"-75" wide by 10'-13' long, with thicknesses ranging from 10/4 to 24/4. A significant portion of the base of the tree has yet to be slabbed- out...it is reserved for "cookie" cutting and will produce stunning oval-shaped slabs with axes roughly 5'by 6'.
Findings
While preparing the slabs, it became apparent that something was embedded in the tree. Upon closer inspection, we discovered an old electrical insulator lodged within the wood. The insulator has been carefully removed along with the surrounding piece of wood and is now available for purchase. It remains embedded in the original wood section extracted from the slab.