After Lean Acorn Crop in Northeast, Even People May Feel the Effects

[alp227]

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.

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

[Uben]

1. I wish !

This time of year, acorns are my nemisis. My home is situated on four lots covered in oak trees, and this year's acorn crop was a big one. They have almost stopped falling now as the leaves are just about gone. Blowing off the driveway is a daily job, for weeks, when they start falling. I'll bag about 20 pounds a day.

[AlecBGreen]

2. I believe this is a common occurrence for many trees

bumper crops one year lead to much lower production the next. It is certainly true of our fruit trees, which is why we have to prune heavily some years if we want to get a harvest the next go-round. That said, I hope this wild feast-or-famine cycle doesnt become more common.