Why so many Acorn's this year?

[jrider]

Survival of the fittest and response to its environment....Sorry to a lot of folks out there who say an abundance of acorns means its going to be a long cold winter. The oak tree, just like anything else in nature only has self preservation in mind. It doesn't say to itself, "hey its going to be a cold winter with lots of snow so I better make sure the deer and squirrels have plenty to eat." Its in response to favorable growing conditions and its trying to make as many more oak trees as possible.

 

[Bingo]

Acorn crop...2012

Fairly light acorn crop last year here in Mid-Mi. Looking for a heavy crop this year and hoping for a slam -bang, tough, snowy winter....My river squirrels love the White Oak in the driveway and visit everyday....But when they get lazy and opt for the bird feeder it's the last time they do anything!....They can have the Oak tree. I rake up bags of them in a good year and drop em at the river's edge for critters....But they're so fat I'm surprised they can move at all. Been a good year for coons and skunks...I'm hoping for a decent winter around here for a change...My aquifer would benefit from it!...It's cyclical and maybe it's time for a good crop. GW? nah...just a normal winter cycle...Bring it on!

 

[capetrees]

Haven't been to the woods to see the acorn crop just yet but the apple crop is in in a number of orchards. Early this year. Was told it's due to the uncommonly warm March we had. Temps soared into the 70's in march in the NE areas.

 

[tylerbeach3]

So.... How was this year? Not much around my neck of the woods, but interesting enough in 2010 (when this thread started) there were tons of em. I didn't check where you guys are from. I'm in Northern California.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Glad you resurrected this thread. I meant to post.
I don't believe I saw as many from the tree in my driveway this year. I also did not see the early drop of immature ones I had seen in the past. We did have a very wet Spring and early Summer, then it dried out - no rain for several weeks.

 

[jrider]

People were removing them with shovels and wheelbarrows around here this year.

 

[67L36Driver]

My oldest volunteer pin oak bore acorns for the first time this year. Four squirrels were under it yesterday.
Shame as I will have to cut it down in the near future as it is only twenty foot from my front door. Branches are getting on the roof.

 

[tylerbeach3]

My oldest volunteer pin oak bore acorns for the first time this year. Four squirrels were under it yesterday.
Shame as I will have to cut it down in the near future as it is only twenty foot from my front door. Branches are getting on the roof.
View attachment 469014

Bummer, it's a pretty tree. Anyone notice that in the years that the oak acorn crop is heavy so is the cone crop from coniferous trees?

 

[tylerbeach3]

Is it all connected? Lol?

 

[67L36Driver]

Bummer, it's a pretty tree. Anyone notice that in the years that the oak acorn crop is heavy so is the cone crop from coniferous trees?

Yup, shades the front door nicely in the summer. Grew there because a squirrel planted it. And, the geezer mowed around it.

The white pine at the nw corner of our lot has dropped a ton of cones.

 

[Oldmaple]

Good crop of acorns around here. So many factors that go into producing "seed" crops on trees it's hard to predict the cycles. Weather from previous years, weather from this year, health status of the population, weather during pollination time both positive and negative (a freeze can wipe out a crop).

 

[Ash_403]

Hardly any acorns off the 2ft DBH Pin Oak out back.
Last year was a bumper crop though. Tree is not in decline, and is healthy as can be. Just an off year this year, I suppose.

 

[Cycledude]

2015 was a bumper crop here in wisconsin

 

[Oldman47]

I have to agree with the "why" posts but so far my Q macrocarpa has never produced an acorn although it is close to 20 years old, thank goodness. When it starts I will be in trouble for planting it in our yard.

 

[jefflovstrom]

I guess acorn's are popular,,
Jeff

 

[KenJax Tree]

Lots of nuts in Cali

 

[Marine5068]

I have been hanging out in the same woods for the last 6 or 7 years. I have picked up Acorns and got like 20 each year. I wondered why there wasn't any squirrels. This summer there are like barrels of acorns off all the Oak trees both white and red. Even mine at home have lots. Maybe it was the real bad winter last year? I don't know but i scooped up a mickey D's bag full to plant. I even imported a squirrel...Bob

I don't have many at all this year.

 

[JeffGu]

Shame as I will have to cut it down in the near future as it is only twenty foot from my front door. Branches are getting on the roof.

You're going to cut down a healthy oak tree because you're worried about branches getting on the roof? When your fingernails get too long, do you just lop the whole finger off because you don't know how to trim them?

 

[Oldman47]

Jeff, sometimes it is better to remove the tree than try to fight it year after year. Some trees, maples and pin oaks come to mind, will fill any gap in the foliage that pruning leaves, so if I trim off lower branches to give myself mowing room under them the next year new branches will grow in those areas so once again I need to prune branches up. If I was faced with an oak acting that way and dropping huge branches onto my roof I would definitely remove the tree, not mess around pruning every year. Once you determine how much space your tree species choice actually needs you can plant one at a more appropriate distance to your roof. I like trees too but will not make work for myself by ignoring how a tree grows.

 

[ncpete]

bumper crop is found here in the Sandhills of NC - which is good, as we are feeding a rescue squirrel through the winter.