Major distinct lateral roots usually develop 12 inches or more below ground level and appear only after taproot is well formed.

In Illinois, root growth was rapid in April, slowed during July and August, increased again in September, and ended in late November.

Reaction to competition: Shellbark hickory is very shade-tolerant, exceeded only by sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and beech (Fagus grandifolia).

Under forest conditions, shellbark hickory often develops a clear bole for half its length and has a narrow, oblong crown.

The flatheaded appletree borer (Chrysobothris femorata) likewise is a foliage-feeder as an adult, but its larvae feed on the phloem and outer sapwood.

A twig girdler (Oncideres cingulata) can seriously affect reproduction by killing back the tops of seedlings and sprouts.

Both standing dead trees and freshly cut logs are highly susceptible to attacks by numerous species of wood borers.

The range extends from western New York through southern Michigan to southeast Iowa, south through eastern Kansas into northern Oklahoma, and eastward through Tennessee into Pennsylvania.

It's also found scattered in the Hudson valley in New York state In part due to the activities of humans, shellbark hickory has become rare in its natural range.

The heavy seeds do not travel far from the parent tree and many stands have been lost to forest clearing and lumber harvesting.

Shellbark hickory grows best on deep, fertile, moist soils, most typical of the order Alfisols.

It is found in association with four other hickories–shagbark, mockernut, bitternut (Carya cordiformis), and water (C. aquatica), and numerous oak species, including swamp white (Quercus bicolor), pin (Q. palustris), white (Q. alba), Shumard (Q. shumardii), water (Q. nigra), Delta post (Q. stellata var.

The shrub and small tree layer may be composed of painted buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica), pawpaw (Asimina triloba), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), possumhaw (Ilex decidua), poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), and trumpet-creeper (Campsis radicans).

The seeds within shellbark hickory nuts are edible[5] and consumed by ducks, quail, wild turkeys, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, foxes, raccoons, and white-footed mice.

The wood is used for furniture, tool handles, sporting goods, veneer, fuelwood, charcoal, and drum sticks.