Q: In this time of falling leaves and acorns, has anyone determined an approximate number of acorns that fall from an oak tree, say, of a 50-year-plus vintage? The two oak trees in my yard have produced what seems this year to be a bumper crop.
—Nowell Briscoe, Atlanta
A: There have been several studies on acorn production in the past 50 years, including one by the U.S. Forest Service in the 1990s.
That study examined several areas relating to size of the tree — specifically its basal area (BA) — and the amount of acorns it produces, Scott Frazier, a biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, told Q&A on the News in an email.
To measure the BA of a tree, “imagine cutting any tree off the stump at 4½ feet high,” Frazier wrote. The BA measurement is the “square feet of that exposed stump top.”
“The Forest Service’s research estimated acorn production in their study as varying between about 300–500 acorns per square foot of BA, dependent upon the species of oak,” Frazier wrote.
The trees used in the study were in the wild, so trees in a yard might have the advantage of regular watering, fertilizer and reduced competition.
“These advantages would likely make the trees in your yard even more productive, which is a good thing if you are feeding squirrels and deer, less of a good thing if you want to run around your yard barefooted,” he wrote.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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