NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Anyone in Tennessee with access to a white oak tree can help replant the state forests this fall. The state Division of Forestry, part of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, is gathering donated acorns through Nov. 15 as part of the Tennessee White Oak Initiative.
The goal is more seedlings. The state East Tennessee Nursery in Polk County raises a large white oak crop every year for restoration work, but commercial seed suppliers have fallen short of the volume the nursery needs in recent years. Acorns gathered by the public fill that gap, and wild-collected seed tends to produce bigger, sturdier seedlings.
State Forester Heather Slayton said in announcing the program that white oak regrowth has slipped in Tennessee forests and that people do not need to own wooded land to take part. This is the sixth year of the collection effort, a partnership of the forestry division, the Tennessee Forestry Association and UT Extension.
Collectors should make sure they have the right species, Quercus alba. Good acorns have caps that have already come off and no cracks, holes or green color. An acorn that rattles when shaken or feels hollow is not viable.
Gather acorns in a breathable container such as a paper or mesh bag, and tuck in a slip listing your name, phone number, email, the collection site, the date and the species. Use separate bags for different locations when possible.
Keep the acorns somewhere cool that will not freeze, such as a refrigerator, basement or garage, and drop them at a designated cooler site or ship them to the nursery within a week of picking them up.
Individuals, civic clubs, youth groups and landowners can all participate, and local Division of Forestry area foresters can help identify the trees. White oaks feed and shelter wildlife and are a key species for the Tennessee timber industry.
