Oak Tree Acorns Are Back - August 2023

It has been a while since we have had any meaningful acorns to drop from our pair of mature, large Oak trees in our yard.  2019 was a Mast Year - with an enormous volume of acorns dropping.  We could hardly keep up.  But, 2020, 2021 and 2022 were all acorn-free.  I feared that the Mast Year was a result of stress and the tree was in decline.  And the subsequent years sort-of felt the same way.

But this year?  The acorns are back.  And dropping in big numbers.  

The Red Oak acorns are coming down in such heavy volume that it appears that the squirrels aren't keeping up.  I'm harvesting dozens of nuts out of the lawn every.single.day.  Maybe the squirrels aren't in 'get ready for Winter' mode yet?  So, they're not paying attention?  I've been picking up as many nuts as I can and piling them up on top of the fence on the side of our yard in hopes that the squirrels will find them.

These Oak trees have been on a three-year program that included Growth Regulator and deep-root feeding. They've both put on new growth. And now...in 2023? They appear to be back in terms of producing acorns. That's a good thing for our garden. I'm happy to see them back. And - for sure - the squirrels will be, too.  But, the last time we had this many acorns, I was worried that the tree was stressed.  

This year, I'm uncertain of what we're seeing and why.  I do, however, know that having a large nut-producing set of trees like these two Northern Red Oaks and the Black Walnut trees helps us in regards to being a "Certified Wildlife Habitat".  Back in 2018, the kids and I applied and were granted that status; which includes the requirement of multiple sources of food. 

Perhaps, what we're seeing is just a normal season and since we haven't had them for a few years...it just FEELS like a lot?  I'll plan on documenting the tree foliage to see what sort of changes have occured.