![]() ![]() Acorns should be taken to Tennessee Division of Forestry locations or shipped to the East Tennessee State Nursery within three to seven days after collection. “If caps are hard to remove, the acorns are not mature.” Store acorns in cool but not freezing temperatures in a basement, cellar, or a refrigerator. Keep acorns in the shade while they are being transported. Use a 4mm plastic zip-top bag or garbage bags to store acorns and help prevent moisture loss. Take care to prevent excessive drying of acorns and don’t expose them to high temperatures. The Division of Forestry offers these tips on collecting acorns: Make sure the acorns are from a white oak (Quercus alba) and refer to an identification guide if needed. ![]() “One person mailed in four acorns and the postage was $4,” Sowders says, “that just shows his passion.” Some acorns were not submitted in large numbers. The more you collect, the more the nursery can grow,” he says. Some trees are more productive than others. “White oaks don’t produce every year,” Key explains, “but maybe every three to four years, depending on the tree. Then in 2021, the Vandy campus collection totaled 744 pounds after being cleaned. The next year there weren’t any due to a hard freeze in April, Key says. He says that 18 garbage bags full of acorns were collected in 2019. “It’s easy to collect them on the grass there,” he says, Also, in the university’s urban setting, there is less competition for the acorns from hungry deer. He remembered the approximate 30 or so white oak trees on the old Peabody campus from his student days. Kevin Key of Nashville, who grows trees from seed and serves on the Metro Nashville Tree Advisory Committee, collects acorns alongside volunteer staff on the campus of Vanderbilt University. “Maintaining forest health is the best way to prevent oak decline and encourage white oak regeneration,” says Sowders. As a result, older white oak trees are not being replaced by younger white oak trees at a pace that will support long-term sustainability.”ĭiseases such as “oak decline” are also a consideration, Sowders says, and symptoms include the progressive die-back of the upper crown leaves beginning at the tips of the branches. “These competing species, most notably maples and beech, are shading out white oak trees and preventing them from regenerating. Why is this project needed? “Land management and ecological changes throughout much of the white oak range are resulting in an increase of competing species establishing themselves in white oak forests,” says Sowders. Community groups, scouting groups, individuals, and garden club members all sent in acorns. Last year, the project’s participants collected 2,755 pounds of future white oaks, says Sowders. White oak acorns are oval shaped and the optimal time for collecting is around October 15–November 15, when the acorns become mature, so this can be a fun fall conservation activity-or even a way to earn volunteer service hours. Many animals include white oak acorns in their diets. Mature white oaks can support over 500 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars which are essential food for young songbirds. Sowders says the project seeks acorns representing the genetic diversity of Quercus alba from all over the state. So if white oaks are removed, the ecosystem would change dramatically, says Reforestation Unit Leader Gina Sowders of the Tennessee Division of Forestry’s East Tennessee Nursery. White oaks are a keystone species-an indicator of forest health-that other species in an ecosystem depend on. The Tennessee White Oak Initiative and UT Extension created a YouTube video to help spread the word about this project. ![]() This community conservation effort is presented by the Tennessee Division of Forestry, University of Tennessee Extension, and the Tennessee Forestry Association. The Quercus alba acorns will be planted and grown at the East Tennessee State Nursery in Delano, and used to reforest dwindling numbers of white oaks across our state. You can help boost the number of white oak trees in Tennessee this fall by collecting white oak acorns. The Tennessee Conservationist - Sept/Oct 2022 Help Reforest Tennessee by Collecting White Oak Acorns ![]()
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