Mast or No Mast?

Our grey squirrels have been going crazy with the hickory nuts! At least they are using the table and fireplace planter in the backyard! Hard mast in our neck of the woods seems to be abundant.

Mast refers to specific kinds of fruits of woody species. Hard mast possesses a hard exterior, as in acorns, while soft mast has fleshy fruits as in berries. Both forms of mast are important in the diets of southern wildlife. Many southern woody plants produce mast. Mast yields are unpredictable from one year to the next, and vary according to species, location, and weather.

The following report from the Hur Herald indicates that overall mast is really minimal this season! Guess our squirrels should be appreciative.

WILDLIFE WILL BE FACING HUNGRY WV WINTER

Worst Mast In 40 Years
(09/17/2009)

Wildlife officials in Charleston are saying there will be a serious shortage of mast - nuts, fruits and other wildlife foods this winter.

According to Division of Natural Resources biologists, this year's mast crop is the worst in the survey's 40-year history.

"There's always some mast out there, and there are always some areas of relative mast abundance," said DNR biologist Randy Tucker. "But what is out there this year is really spotty. Overall, the food situation is dismal," he said.
This year, every wildlife food item except dogwood is running below the Mast Survey's long-term average.

Beechnuts are running 46 percent under their long-term average; walnuts, 23 percent; hickory nuts, 22 percent; white oak acorns, 48 percent; chestnut oak acorns, 64 percent; black and red oak acorns, 42 percent; scarlet oak acorns, 32 percent; black cherry, 30 percent; apples, 66 percent; and crab apples, 39 percent.

"Ordinarily, you don't get shortages of hard mast items and soft mast items in the same year," Tucker said. "This year we did. It's kind of a double whammy."

The DNR expects the shortage to have short-term and long-term effects on Mountain State wildlife.

"If we have a really hard winter, some animals won't have the energy reserves they need to survive harsh weather conditions. If we get a late freeze or a big snowstorm in March or April, there's a good chance we might get some winter-kill, especially among deer," Tucker said.

There will also be a reduction in breeding.

DNR officials avoid using the term "mast failure," but Tucker said there's no other way to describe the situation.

"The grocery store [for wildlife] is pretty empty right now," he said.