[stweedie]

JP and AB may be able to shed some light on this for me. I had read about the problems with the Beech trees in Northern Maine (Dutch Elm Disease I think), along with the apparent lack of mature beech trees (at least in the areas I frequent) but I haven't seen a good mast of beech nuts in years it seems. I had heard that this past Fall supposedly there was a good mast crop but I scoured the beech ridges and didn't find any. Are my assumptions about the Beech tree problems true or is it just that the animals wipe out the nuts as soon as they hit the ground?

 

[John Porter]

My area saw a lack of beech nuts also. My opinion here, the reason alot of hunters don't see a massive crop of beech nuts in northern Maine, is because come Nov. they are usually cleaned up. About every animal chases the rise and fall of mast crops. Take marten trapping for instance, a good nut year, you better trap the hardwoods and it is still hard to trap martens. Poor years, hit the swamps and they are everywheres.
Another problems is the wood harvesting methods. They may not clear cut anymore but they cause damage to tree roots and also scarring of the trees. A scarred tree will not produce nuts until the wound is healed if it does heal up. Look at any beech grove in northern maine and you will see tons of tops broken off. This also plays into the production of nuts.
Browsing on the tops and limbs of inmature trees is also a problem caused by deer and moose. Reason being is they have cut most of the deer yards and these animals need to feed on something.

 

[John Porter]

http://www.unh.edu/ncssf/results-northern-hardwoods.htm


This is a good site to check out on the hardwoods of New England and common diseases that affect them.

 

[aroostookbasser]

JP.......you da man !!!!!!

Tweedie: JP called it right......disease is an issue south .......but less so up here in the county...but the animals can clean an area fast......especially if you have to wait for Nov. to hunt the beeches.