How to germinate live oak acorns

Harvest live oak acorns in the fall!

1) Gather off the ground.
Can pick off trees if turning brown and they easily pop out.

2) Float test.
Put acorns in a bucket or bowl of water.
Sink good. Float bad.

3) Heat treat to kill weevil larva.
Put acorns in a warm bath of water 115F-118F degrees not to exceed 120F or you kill the plant.
Weevils will float out and die after about 10-15 mins.

4) Plant trees in ground or pots.
No deeper than 2 times the thickness of the acorn.

5) Protect from squirrels.

6) Nurture them & watch them grow!

How to Measure a Big Tree

Check out the Virginia Big Tree Program.

The Virginia Big Tree Program began as a 4-H and FFA project in 1970. Today the program is coordinated by the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. We are a passionate community of tree enthusiasts . . .

Big Tree Measuring & Scoring link.

Trees are ranked in the Virginia Big Tree Register using a scoring system that is based on measurements of their physical dimensions . . . basic tools needed to measure a tree are a yardstick and a 100’ measuring tape.

i-Tree is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban and rural forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools.

Check out all the amazing tools available at iTreesTools.org!

Since the initial release of the i-Tree Tools in August 2006, thousands of communities, non-profit organizations, consultants, volunteers and students around the world have used i-Tree to report on individual trees, parcels, neighborhoods, cities, and even entire states. By understanding the local, tangible ecosystem services that trees provide, i-Tree users can link forest management activities with environmental quality and community livability.

Site includes an amazing tool that calculates a whole bunch of things about the benefits of 1 tree or all the trees at your home. Check out the MyTree app here.

Here’s just some of the apps available at iTreeTools:

    i-Tree Eco
    i-Tree Landscape
    i-Tree Hydro
    i-Tree Design
    i-Tree Canopy
    i-Tree Species
    i-Tree MyTree
    i-Tree Database
    i-tree Streets
    i-Tree Vue

    Plus a collection of Utility Programs like i-Tree Pest Detection Module & i-Tree Storm.

There’s even video learning, manuals and workbooks available too.

Have fun checking out this amazing website which includes a rich collection of i-Tree Resources too!