Oaks: Let's have a hard conversation

I would say my released oaks take about two to three years to respond with heavier acorn production this could be screwed by a mast year in there somewhere. There is always the genetic factor of individual trees that plays into it and weather also. It’s nice to have some historical data on acorn production from individual trees to know who is likely to respond best to release but this isn’t likely in many situations especially young trees there is no baseline. Also red oaks seem to need more time in general to start acorn production than whites oaks and this time difference is substantially maybe a decade longer in my experience at least.
I don't even worry about them that much. August and September don't need any work in terms of the land pumping out forage for any critter that roams the property. It's actually kind of tough to even find evidence of browsing at that time due to the massive flush of natives, plots, woody browse, and soft and hard mast.

All my efforts go into November - March food concerns. The reaper will come with a brutal winter again.
 
All my efforts go into November - March food concerns. The reaper will come with a brutal winter again.
All that food you have available summer-through October helps the deer get through Nov-March. There's a clear correlation between high acorn production years and winter survival of northern deer.
 
SD I wasn’t trying to persuade you not to cut any oaks down with my comment to the contrary if I had a property loaded with oaks it wouldn’t bother me at all to cut some in poor locations for some of my other goals. Sadly my largest property has very very few oaks so on that one I protect what I can and plant more. Some of my other properties have some oaks so they are of less importance to me on those properties. Some of my buddies are farther east in southern Missouri and their properties are absolutely covered in oaks if I own a property like that I’d have no qualms about cutting some down and those properties pose a different challenge of trying to hunt them when acorns are literally everywhere on the ground how do you pattern the deer and catch them at funnel points much more difficult hunting conditions while they exist.
 
SD I wasn’t trying to persuade you not to cut any oaks down with my comment to the contrary if I had a property loaded with oaks it wouldn’t bother me at all to cut some in poor locations for some of my other goals. Sadly my largest property has very very few oaks so on that one I protect what I can and plant more. Some of my other properties have some oaks so they are of less importance to me on those properties. Some of my buddies are farther east in southern Missouri and their properties are absolutely covered in oaks if I own a property like that I’d have no qualms about cutting some down and those properties pose a different challenge of trying to hunt them when acorns are literally everywhere on the ground how do you pattern the deer and catch them at funnel points much more difficult hunting conditions while they exist.
No worries. I just thought it a good conversation to have. On my place they're a nice bonus, just more often than not, they don't produce. Most years, all they yield is branches and leaves.
 
^^^ I wouldn't be too big on something that rarely produced AND took up space that I could put to other uses. My first approach would be to see if I could get them to produce on a regular basis. I'm kind of like that in wanting to use what's already there if I can. If those measures didn't work I would gladly remove them if I had a good alternative. In KS trees are a rarity so my mindset might be different than someone who is surrounded by trees.
 
^^^ I wouldn't be too big on something that rarely produced AND took up space that I could put to other uses. My first approach would be to see if I could get them to produce on a regular basis. I'm kind of like that in wanting to use what's already there if I can. If those measures didn't work I would gladly remove them if I had a good alternative. In KS trees are a rarity so my mindset might be different than someone who is surrounded by trees.
That would be a good new thread: Uncommon species that you promote on your land.

I could give a long talk on diamond willow, ash, maple, birch, and tag alder.
 
Funny, many profess to wanting to have year round food sources, but the minute an Oak tree doesn't fit a hunting schedule, or impacts a food plot ... out comes the chainsaw.

A mature oak tree producing acorns is of far greater long term value to my land and wildlife than any food plot I could plant. They take 20 years to get to nut producing age and will out live all of us. I read that acorns contain more energy than corn, two times the amount of carbohydrates, and up to 10 times the amount of fat, making acorns a tremendous food source for many wildlife species during fall and winter.

I would move or adapt a food plot before I would ever cut an oak tree down.
Only way I would cut an oak tree down is when it's a threat to itself, not producing acorns, or to open up sunlight so they produce more. Or, you're forced to cut some down that are a threat to your house.
 
That would be a good new thread: Uncommon species that you promote on your land.

I could give a long talk on diamond willow, ash, maple, birch, and tag alder.

Another thread...... " I like big oaks,and I cannot lie"....Sir Direct Seed-a lot

bill
 
That would be a good new thread: Uncommon species that you promote on your land.

I could give a long talk on diamond willow, ash, maple, birch, and tag alder.

How about ... good wood should never be wasted 😉
 
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