best around house shade tree

[WDH]

I enjoy the oaks around my house.  No acorns this year here.  The deer, turkeys, and hogs will suffer.  So will the squirrels.  Been too DanG droughty.  Totally bone-dry now.

[Lanier_Lurker]

My various red oak species have not started dropping acorns yet, but I already know that the urban/landscape shumards that I routinely see are covered with acorns this year.  My wild scarlets, blacks, northern reds look like they may be off this year in terms of nut production.

However, I am under attack right now from all of my mature white oaks. I don't think I have ever seen (or heard) such a crop of acorns fall.  I think they produce acorns on a 2 year cycle, but it is like they all are on the same 2 year cycle.  With one tree that approaches 100ft in height overhanging my driveway, those suckers can almost hit terminal velocity before hitting the ground - or my car.

I also expect typical nut production from the hickories this year, but perhaps not as many as last year.

[WDH]

LL,

That is interesting.  I am getting no white oak acorns at all.  The drought up your way may have stressed the trees, and they are putting a lot of energy into reproduction.  It has been dry here too, just not as dry as in your area.

What are others seeing?

[Dodgy Loner]

Huge acorn crop in Rabun County.  Standing under white oaks may be hazardous to your health.  It's a bumper crop for all fruit trees, including apples, pears, peaches, persimmons, cherries, grapes...A very good year for our fruit producers.

[Lanier_Lurker]

Yep, I am seeing bumper crops of persimmon around here as well.

[SwampDonkey]

It's a good year for beech nuts. Not so good for ironwood nuts, butternut, red oak and hard maple. My red oak in the yard had some, but very few. Long gone now as the coons and skunks eat them up as they drop. The white oak was full of flowers this spring, but nothing for acorns. The bur oaks were way down in production as they were last year. Only found one that I beat of a limb with a stick. We have had lots of rain, 10 inches above normal for the year. 6 inches about a week ago, is more than we get in a normal month total. But it has dried out on top quick, in the woods though there is water everywhere. No beaked hazel, two years ago was a bumper crop.

[Tom]

Few acorns on my place in N.E. Florida, of any variety.  Practically none on the Chestnut white oaks.  Red bay's are dying by the drove.

[Dodgy Loner]

I was in the Okefenokee last spring, and the red bays were a sad sight, indeed .  That's one type of tree I've always wanted to saw, but never got the opportunity.  Now that they're dying off and I live way the heck up in north GA, I wonder if I'll ever get the chance.

[Tom]

It's a good tree to saw.  The wood is relatively soft, about like Loblolly bay, and pretty too.  I love the smell and will miss having the leaves and wood to flavor my grill.

[Don K]

The wateroaks and the red oak in my yard have acorns hanging like grapes. Don't know about the whiteoaks in the woods. Also noted that the persimmons are heavily laden. Deer hunting will be tougher this year but the squirrels need it as they have not really rebounded from Ivan and Dennis that came through a few yrs back.

Don