After Record Acorn Output In NE Forests In 2010, This Year's Harvest At Record Low - NYT

[hatrack]

In Central Park, more than 1,000 trees in the red oak family were spangling the scenery with the colors of autumn.

But this year, they were failing to do something else they generally do in the harvest season: produce acorns.

“I remember going into areas and you’d get the crunch of acorns under your feet,” said Neil Calvanese, vice president for operations at the Central Park Conservancy. “And this year, you kind of have to search around for them.”

It is a phenomenon happening not only in New York but also throughout the Northeast. While last fall set a recorded high for acorn production, at roughly 250 pounds per tree, this year is seeing a recorded low, with a typical tree shedding less than half a pound of its seeds, said Mark Ashton, a forest ecologist at Yale University. On average, oaks produce about 25 to 30 pounds of acorns a year.

EDIT

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/nyregion/boom-and-bust-in-acorns-will-affect-many-creatures-including-humans.html?_r=1

[Raven]

1. I've noticed the same thing up here in SW NH. The common

wisdom is that less acorns means a mild winter. We had a 2 1/2 foot snowfall at the end of October but, generally, the weather has been unusually mild for this time of year.

[T Roosevelt]

2. Acorns in Florida still high

Interestingly, it seems that this year is very similar to last year - lots and lots of acorns.

[jpak]

3. Different trees have different reproductive strategies

Some produce seeds like crazy after during or after a severe drought - to take advantage of any mortality among their neighboring competitors.

Oaks are well known for their spectacular "mast years"

Perhaps these trees used up resources last year that need to be replenished - or maybe they are putting more resources into competitive (over) growth rather than reproduction....

dunno

:shrug:

[Name removed]

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