facebook
2/15/2025 8:29:05 PM
Breaking News

Here's why more acorns are falling this year


Here's why more acorns are falling this year


DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – – While raking your yard, you might have seen a large amount of acorns mixed in with the fallen leaves. There's a great factor given that this is a huge year for oak trees.

Oak trees do not produce acorns every year. In 2023, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) reports that a higher-than-average number of red and white oak trees are producing acorns. It is called a mast year, where an abundance of acorns will fall. Scientists do not know exactly why they occur, but among the primary theories behind it is predator satiation.

" Where the trees overwhelm the seed predators, which way, you know, they get their fair share. They get their fill, however there are some out there delegated be, you know, left alone, essentially," said Dr. Don Cipollini, teacher of biology at Wright State University.

While it is unidentified exactly why it takes place, experts have actually been able to anticipate that mast years for oak trees are about every 2 to 5 years.

" On a year when trees are making a great deal of acorns, they're investing a great deal of resources into that. And that makes the next year harder for them to do that so they type of have to recoup, essentially," said Cipollini.

Oak trees take between 20 and 40 years to start acorn production, and their relationship with wildlife like squirrels and blue jays is what enables new trees to sprout.

Don't respond to calls from these 5 area codes


"Acorns are likewise a valuable food source for a variety of wildlife, and part of their method, the oak technique for dispersal, is that critters like them and they bring them off, particularly squirrels and bury them and things like that to assist, you know, make sure there's more oak trees in the future," said Brett Beatty, wildlife management supervisor for the ODNR Department of Wildlife.

If you wish to find more details on for how long it takes to grow each acorn, and the wildlife they feed, visit ODNR's site.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Source Credit

Elwood Hill
author

Elwood Hill

Elwood Hill is an award-winning journalist with more than 18 years' of experience in the industry. Throughout his career, John has worked on a variety of different stories and assignments including national politics, local sports, and international business news. Elwood graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and immediately began working for Breaking Now News as lead journalist.