Acorn Usage by Deer: Significance of Oak Management

1987 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 124-128
Author(s):  
Peter J. Pekins ◽  
william W. Mautz

Abstract Fall food habits and food availability of four lead white-tailed deer were studied in hardwood seedling-sapling areas, cut-over mixed hardwood areas, and an oak sawtimber site in southern New Hampshire in 1979 and 1980. Red or white oak acorns were the single most consumed foods in both years. Acorns and/or oak leaves comprised over one-half the fall diet. Individual foods representing 10% or more of the diet were red oak acorns, red oak leaves, and yellow birch leaves in early fall, and red oak and white oak acorns, and red oak leaves in late fall. Management implications and recommendations are discussed. North. J. Appl. For. 4:124-128, Sept. 1987.

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 303
Author(s):  
Michael A. Steele ◽  
Harmony J. Dalgleish ◽  
Shealyn Marino ◽  
Andrew W. Bartlow ◽  
Rachel Curtis ◽  
...  

Recent studies have explored how nut weevils (Curculio and Conotrachelus spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) prey on the fruits (acorns) of oak (Quercus spp.). However, few, if any, have examined these interactions over both an extensive geographic area and over several years. Here, we observed patterns of infestation in acorns of both red oak (Quercus rubra) and white oak (Quercus alba) over an eight-year period along a latitudinal transect, extending as far as 900km, across much of the shared range of these two oak species. Although weevil prevalence did not differ significantly between the two oak species, in red oak, infestation prevalence increased significantly with latitude. In contrast, an opposite pattern was evident in white oak, with the highest infestation prevalence occurring at lower latitudes. One controlled measure of cotyledon damage was significantly lower in acorns of red oak than those of white oak, which may in part be due to larger acorn size at the lower latitudes. Future investigations in this system should focus on the distribution of weevil species (with DNA barcoding) across this range and geographic variation in chemical gradients that likely determine patterns of weevil damage in individual acorns.


2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-377
Author(s):  
Cristian Grecca Turkot ◽  
Roy Daniel Seale ◽  
Edward D. Entsminger ◽  
Frederico José Nistal França ◽  
Rubin Shmulsky

Abstract The objective of this article is to evaluate the relationship between the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEd), which was obtained with acoustic-based nondestructive testing (NDT) methods, and static bending properties of two domestic hardwood oak species. The mechanical properties were conducted using static modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) in radial and tangential directions. Mechanical tests were performed according to ASTM D143 on small clear, defect-free specimens from the two tree species: red oak (Quercus rubra) and white oak (Quercus alba). The MOEd was determined by two NDT methods and three longitudinal vibration methods based on the fast Fourier transform. The destructive strength values obtained in this study were within the expected range for these species. The MOE was best predicted by NDT methods for both species but also had a strong capability to predict MOR.


The Condor ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Moore ◽  
Robert K. Swihart

Abstract We assessed dietary preference of 14 captive Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) for different food types under different conditions of availability. In four separate feeding trials, we provisioned jays with the following: Trial 1, two nuts each of white oak (Quercus alba), pin oak (Q. palustris), black oak (Q. velutina), northern red oak (Q. rubra), and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata); Trial 2, two small and two large red oak acorns; Trial 3, two germinating and two nongerminating white oak acorns; and Trial 4, one large red oak acorn, one large white oak acorn, and one shagbark hickory nut. We used discrete choice models to describe selection under conditions of changing choice sets. Blue Jays displayed a clear preference for pin oak and strong avoidance of red oak acorns when alternative foods were available. White oak and black oak acorns were selected intermediately. Shagbark hickory nuts were never used. Correlation coefficients suggested that preference was inversely related to seed size and the proportion of seed consisting of hard seed coat. In the absence of alternative food items, small red oak acorns were readily taken, whereas large red oak acorns were mostly avoided but still used by some birds. These results highlight the importance of considering food availability when making conclusions about preference, and lend support to the hypothesis that Blue Jays can be important dispersers of even less-preferred oak species. We discuss the potential as well as the limitations for Blue Jays to act as seed dispersers, with respect to postglacial range expansion of fagaceous tree species, and in the context of present-day dispersal in regions where forests are highly fragmented.


2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles R. Drever ◽  
James Snider ◽  
Mark C. Drever

Our objective was to assess the relative rarity and representation within protected areas of Standard Forest Units (SFUs) in northeastern Ontario by applying the concepts of geographic range, habitat specificity, and local population size. SFUs are stand type classifications, routinely employed by forest managers, based on tree composition, disturbance history, and prescribed silvicultural system. We identified several SFUs as rare because of a narrow distribution, association with only one landform type, or lack of at least one stand larger than an ecoregion-specific threshold. In the Boreal forest, rare SFUs comprised stands dominated by eastern hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière), red oak ( Quercus rubra L.), yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), or eastern white-cedar ( Thuja occidentalis L.). Rare SFUs also included eastern white pine ( Pinus strobus L.) and (or) red pine ( Pinus resinosa Ait.) leading stands managed by shelterwood or seed tree silviculture as well as low-lying deciduous stands and selection-managed stands of shade-tolerant species. In the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence forest, rare SFUs were yellow birch stands, stands dominated by conifer species abundant in the Boreal, and shelterwood-managed hardwood stands. Several rare SFUs had <12% of their total area in protection, i.e., stands dominated by eastern white pine, yellow birch, eastern white pine – red oak, or eastern white-cedar. These rare stand types require increased protection in reserves and tailored silvicultural practices to maintain their probability of persistence.


2015 ◽  
Vol 91 (04) ◽  
pp. 376-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael K. Crosby ◽  
Zhaofei Fan ◽  
Martin A. Spetich ◽  
Theodor D. Leininger ◽  
Xingang Fan

In the southeastern United States, drought can pose a significant threat to forests by reducing the amount of available water, thereby stressing trees. Destructive changes in crown conditions provide the first visible indication of a problem in a forested area, making it a useful indicator for problems within an ecosystem. Forest Health and Monitoring (FHM) and Palmer's Drought Severity Index (PDSI) data from 11 states in the southeastern United States were obtained in an effort to determine the role that drought, forest type, and ecoregion have in indicating differences in crown dieback. Analyses were conducted by species groups using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis. The greatest amount of total relative crown dieback occurred in red oak (18%), followed by other hardwoods (14%), and white oak (11%). Relative crown dieback varied by forest type and ecoregion with a relationship to drought in both red oak and white oak. This information will be useful for focusing future research and modeling efforts to predict forest health conditions affected by changing climate variables.


1988 ◽  
Vol 58 (10) ◽  
pp. 575-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N.-S. Hon

The mechanical stress energy used to process cotton in a cutter is sufficient to induce homolytic scission of C2 and C3 bonds and chain scission of C1—O—C4 glycosidic bonds, i.e., to reduce the degree of polymerization (DP), of cellulose molecules. The formation of carbon and alkoxy mechanoradicals at these locations was identified by an electron spin resonance study. The incorporation of nonylated phenol phosphite, hindered amine, and milled wood lignins of red oak and white oak was effective in inhibiting the reduction of the DP of cellulose. In addition, the incorporation of an alkylary phosphite mixture, hindered phenol, ditridecyl thiodipropionate and dialutyl thiodipropionate, milled wood lignin of loblolly pine and white oak, and lignosulfonate of spruce and red oak was useful in inhibiting the oxidative ageing of cut cotton fiber. Of the stabilizers used, only milled wood lignin of red oak was the most effective in preventing loss of the DP of cellulose during mechanical cutting and oxidative ageing. Termination of primary mechanoradicals at C2 and C3 by stabilizers appeared to eliminate secondary reactions that led to a subsequent decrease in the DP. Termination of alkoxy and carbon radicals at C4 and C1 positions appeared to eliminate oxidative degradation.


1996 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 182-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Guertin ◽  
C. W. Ramm

Abstract Five-year diameter growth, basal area growth, and mortality for five upland hardwood species in northern Lower Michigan were compared to projections from Lake States TWIGS. The species studied were northern red oak, white oak, other red oak (pin oak and black oak combined), sugar maple, and red maple. The validation data consisted of individual tree measurements from 44 stands across 10 ecological land types on the Manistee National Forest. The stands were measured in 1986 and 1991; during this time interval stands experienced a drought and outbreaks of leaf defoliators. For individual dbh classes, 5 yr diameter growth was predicted within ± 0.3 in. for all species. Mean errors for BA projections were within ± 5 ft²/ac for all species, and mean error for trees/ac ranged from - 33 for other red oak to + 16 for sugar maple. Although precision was variable, Lake States TWIGS provided accurate predictions of 5 yr diameter growth for the five species tested. Projections of mortality were less accurate. North. J. Appl. For. 13(4):00-00.


1991 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 156-160
Author(s):  
Bruce G. Hansen ◽  
William G. Luppold ◽  
R. Edward Thomas

Abstract During the past decade, poor documentation and computer software containing outdated price parameters used to screen and "correct" data taken from U.S. export declarations resulted in significant overestimation of official U.S. hardwood lumber export volumes. In the year prior to their correction, U.S. hardwood lumber exports to Europe were about half the officially reported volume. Although official statistics indicated red oak was the most important species traded, the new data indicate that, in fact, white oak exports in 1988 were actually three times red oak exports. To provide a check on the official statistics and to revise previous export volume data, new estimates were developed using information taken directly from ship manifests. Not only have the ship manifest data provided a more accurate assessment of U.S./European trade, but they have provided new insights into the species composition and geographic source of U.S. exports as well. This paper uses the revised data to focus on three aspects of U.S./European trade--trade trends over the decade, species composition of U.S. hardwood lumber exports, and the origin of U.S. exports. North. J. Appl. For. 8(4):156-160.


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