From logging in the Amazon to the aftermath of Agent Orange in Vietnam, the world’s forests have seen significant threats in the last several decades. Senior Reese Hooper, an environmental science major, is investigating the health of Blue Ridge forests through an unorthodox method: sprouting oak trees from acorns to determine their genetic viability and resistance to pests and pathogens, both invasive and native.
To assess the health of local oaks, Hooper starts each of his tests by collecting dozens of fallen acorns, organized by their species, and giving them the tailored conditions that they need to sprout. Like many deciduous tree species, oak seeds (acorns) require a period of cold before they can sprout, during which they undergo a process called stratification. “Cold-stratifying acorns really requires a lot of patience because the process takes anywhere from one to two months, depending on the species,” says Hooper. “During that time, all sorts of things can prevent the seed from sprouting, like insects, squirrels, and fungi.”
Hooper decided to work with the oaks because “they’re the central pillar of our local forest ecosystems, and if they are threatened, the whole forest is in trouble.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the oaks (composed of the genus Quercus) are the dominant tree species in 51% of forests in the eastern US. Oaks produce acorns, seeds that are full of nutrients which a wide variety of animals, fungi, and microorganisms use as food and habitat. Hooper notes that “Forest communities depend on oak trees, and if they were gone, the whole ecosystem would fall apart.”
Professor Steve Cessna, who teaches a course on Blue Ridge botany here at EMU, agrees that oak trees perform vital roles in our forests. “The oaks are keystone species, meaning that other organisms rely on them for habitat and food. They alter their surrounding environment substantially, creating ecological niches wherever they are. If all of the oaks were gone… Well, it would be a big hit. On the other hand, 200 years ago, everyone thought that losing the American Chestnut would destroy our forests, and instead the forests adapted.”
Senior Gabe Nafziger, who is also in EMU’s environmental science program, has been helping Hooper with his research planning and methods. “I think what Reese is doing with testing the acorns is really important. We can see lots of oak trees around here, but those will die off eventually and the next generation might be affected by disease differently.”
According to the Virginia Tech dendrology program, oaks in the Blue Ridge have an average lifespan of 200 years, meaning that the impact of an increase in acorn pests and disease today might not be seen until centuries later.
Hooper encourages environmental advocates to think beyond 2022 to the forests of 2200. “If we don’t look out for pests attacking seeds and young plants now, we may not notice the effects until the old trees begin to die off.” He reminds us that “trees are operating on a different timeline,” and that we can preserve our hardwood forests for future generations if we are willing to “take time and notice the little things.”
