Nuts! Nuts! Nuts! They are everywhere, and there’s good reason. A good spring, absent any late frosts, left many tree flowers undamaged and healthy enough to turn into seeds or nuts.

Oak tree acorns, which are especially plentiful this year, are making Ohio’s more than 150 forest wildlife species very happy this fall. High in energy and fat, acorns serve as a vital food source to wildlife and lead to a healthy wildlife population.

State foresters say tree nuts in Ohio are more abundant this year than anytime in recent memory. Aside from the helpful spring, foresters attribute this high nut yield to the tree seed producing cycle.

To survive, most of a plant’s food and energy goes into flower and fruit production. Trees, like oaks for instance, can’t afford to put all its energy toward this function every year and still grow. Trees fruit in cycles. Four to 10 years could pass between large seed crops like the one being experienced this year. This cycle has been going on for centuries and the forest and wildlife adapt to this “rhythm,” foresters say.

Oaks flower in the spring anytime between February and May.  Some acorns only need a year to mature, while others, like those of the Red Oak, require two years on the tree. The nuts also drop at various times throughout the fall.

The cycle begins again when the seed lands on the ground and makes its home in the surrounding soil, starting the germination process.

Read more