Tennesseans Invited to Collect White Oak Acorns for Reforestation Through November 15
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry is inviting residents statewide to take part in the Tennessee White Oak Initiative, a statewide acorn collection program running through November 15, 2026. The partnership, now in its sixth year, includes the Division's East Tennessee Nursery, the University of Tennessee Extension, and the Tennessee Forestry Association, and supports white oak forest regeneration across the state.
State Forester Heather Slayton said white oak regrowth has declined in Tennessee's forests and that the initiative is part of a large-scale effort to restore white oak populations, welcoming public participation whether or not participants own wooded land. Each year the East Tennessee Nursery in Polk County grows a large crop of white oak seedlings critical to restoration statewide, but in recent years seed suppliers have been unable to meet the nursery's volume needs; the collection program supplements that supply, and wild-collected seed also tends to yield higher-quality, larger, and stronger seedlings.
Individuals, civic organizations, forestry groups, landowners, and youth organizations can learn how to collect, store, and deliver acorns on the Tennessee Forestry Association's acorn collection webpage, or contact their local Division of Forestry area forester for help identifying the correct tree species. (GSM, based on Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry releases and University of Tennessee Extension materials)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：白橡树的落叶与橡子（资料图）。照片：Dcrjsr，Wikimedia Commons（CC BY 3.0）。Fallen leaves and acorns of a white oak (file photo). Photo: Dcrjsr, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).
