2008 Acorn Crop

[Archer4Life]

I've been out bowhunting since it opened, and I've noticed the acorn crop this year is pretty bad. Hardley any, a few small one on the Red oaks, but that's about it. Last year I couldn't walk without rolling across the forest floor. This year is the complete opposite. If anybody goes scouting, bowhuntig, small game, ect. look down and let me know how things are in your neck of the woods?

[Karys]

There are hardly any around camp in Bradford county.

There's a small grove of big white oak trees at the top of the property near a stand that I built. I always take a walk around there when I climb down from the stand in the morning on the opening day of archery. I saw only two acorns on the ground. Usually I can pick up handfulls.

I also noticed that the leaves are starting to turn color already. Everything was still solid green up there at this time last year. From what I've heard it's due to the lack of rain. It seems the dry conditions killed the acorn crop too.

[dman]

From what I remember of 2007 summer,we had a bit of a drought.Springs runnig slow,a couple of wells went dry,I'm no scholar but maybe lack of water?An older lady with a green thumb told that when they are in bloom and little or no water,they won't produce.

[PocketProtector]

There are hardly any around camp in Bradford county.

There's a small grove of big white oak trees at the top of the property near a stand that I built. I always take a walk around there when I climb down from the stand in the morning on the opening day of archery. I saw only two acorns on the ground. Usually I can pick up handfulls.

I also noticed that the leaves are starting to turn color already. Everything was still solid green up there at this time last year. From what I've heard it's due to the lack of rain. It seems the dry conditions killed the acorn crop too.

Where's your Camp in BC?

[Dredly]

yup I saw some falling really early in the year and was getting all excited then they just stopped, now there are none falling at all.

btw - this should probably be in the hunting forum

[Karys]

Where's your Camp in BC?

A few minutes south of the NY border not far from Horseheads, NY.

[Koli01]

Seem to not be many on the ground at our club near Pittsburgh.

[LittleRedToyota]

IANAD (i am not a druid ...or other tree expert), but i did once stay in a holiday in express--and happened to read a possible explanation for this question provided by the US forest service...

from: http://www.fnr.purdue.edu/inwood/pas...Production.htm

What We Know About Acorn Production

Acorns of trees in the white oak group (subgenus Lepidobalanus) mature in 3 months; those in the red oak group (subgenus Erythrobalanus) require 15 months (two growing seasons]. However, in both species groups, acorn production is relatively unpredictable from year to year. On average, most species produce a good crop of acorns one year in three or four. In years of low or moderate acorn production, most acorns are consumed by insects. Moreover, the production of acorns differs among species. Some species are inherently better acorn producers than others, and different species tend to produce good acorn crops in different years. Although environmental factors unfavorable to acorn production such as late spring frost and summer drought tend to obscure inherent periodicity (cycles) in production, new evidence suggests that such periodicity occurs at 2-, 3-, and 4-year intervals for black, white, and northern red oaks, respectively.

Other factors being equal, trees of large diameter produce more acorns than trees of small diameter. However, in some species, production declines after the tree reaches a threshold diameter (fig. 1). Oaks with crowns fully exposed to light, such as dominant and co-dominant trees, produce more acorns than trees with crowns totally or partially shaded. In the white oak group, when one tree produces well, all of the potential acorn-producing trees in the population tend to produce well. In contrast, in the red oak group, some producers yield well in a given year while others do not. In addition, only a relatively small proportion of trees are inherently good seed

For example, among white oaks in Pennsylvania, only 30 percent of large, healthy trees produced any acorns even in good seed years and an even smaller proportion produced a good crop in those years.

[Koli01]

LRT,
That sounds a little like a weather report.

some produce lots of acorns. some don't. we don't know whether rain, frost, drought has an effect.

some that are big produce lots. some that are big do not. LOL

purdue.....no wonder psu beat the snot out of them.

[fingers80002]

Maybe the're in hiding,trying to avoid accidental investigations?