Collect acorns, nuts to help Virginia Department of Forestry grow species in its tree nurseries

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Have you noticed any fallen acorns, walnuts and chestnuts covering sidewalks, parking lots, or even your yard? The Virginia Department of Forestry is asking people to collect them to help grow species in its tree nurseries.

On Monday, Sept. 15, the Virginia Department of Forestry said that acorns, black walnuts and chestnuts are now falling from trees across the state -- with most of them never being able to grow into trees, especially those in cities and towns.

The department said people can collect acorns and nuts this fall to donate and help its tree nurseries grow species that are hard to find or only grow in specific areas of Virginia.

Here is the list of nut and acorn species that the department is seeking in donations this year, with the bolded names being "species of particular interest":

• Black Oak
• Black Walnut
• Chestnut Oak
• White Oak
• Bur Oak
• Cherrybark Oak
• Chinese Chestnut
• Chinkapin Oak
• Pin Oak
• Northern Red Oak
• Southern Red Oak
• Shumard Oak
• Swamp Chestnut Oak
• Swamp White Oak
• Water Oak
• Willow Oak
• Overcup Oak

The Virginia Department of Forestry said people can collect these nuts and acorns by doing the following:

• Bag them: Place acorns in a paper bag or cardboard box -- no plastic bags.
• Tag them: Mark the bag or box with the date, species and location.
• Drop them: Drop them off at your closest Department of Forestry location.

The department asks for acorns and nuts to be kept separated by species. If you’re not sure of the species, put a leaf from the tree into the bag with the acorns. The department also has an Acorn and Nut ID Guide that can help identify species with descriptions and photos.

People are advised to only collect acorns and nuts in areas where they have permission and to stay away from roadways. The department said people should look for whole, uncracked acorns that are dark brown or green in color. The acorns do not need caps.

Acorns and nuts collected for donation should be placed in a cool area until they can be dropped off. The department said the sooner the collections are dropped off, the better.

To ensure the collection of a single species, the department recommends collecting from yards, sidewalks and driveways as forest collections make it difficult to determine the trees of origin and often lead to mixing species.

Donations of acorns and nuts can be dropped off at any Department of Forestry office location every day by 5 p.m. until Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Collection areas will be designated outside each office, according to the department. To find the nearest office near you, use the “Find a Forester” tool on the Department of Forestry's website home page.