#61

Coordinated Squirrels: Harvesting Acorns for Reforestation Using Community Volunteers, Smartphones, and Persistent Chat Applications

Zarah Wyly, Sacramento Tree Foundation

The Sacramento Tree Foundation operates an annual acorn harvesting program that gathers seven to fifteen-thousand acorns to support reforestation efforts, seedling propagation, and educational programming for students within the greater Sacramento region. This effort is focused on locally native species and covers an area of more than 2,000 square miles.

Acorns ripen from late September into December each year and it is challenging to gather the quantity we need in a sustainable and ethical way. Spatial fluctuations in the acorn crop, a six-county service area, and the desire to harvest genetically diverse and non-hybridized acorns from fully permitted harvesting locations are challenges we overcome in part by recruiting a large number of citizen scientists working within their own communities. Acorn Harvesters are specially trained community volunteers whose efforts are coordinated using the smartphone application Slack. With dedicated communication channels for tree identification, real-time updates on acorn ripeness, and reporting of harvesting activities, the Head Squirrel is able to manage the whole effort easily and from anywhere.

The acorn harvest has been optimized over the last six years and is a highly effective and low-cost program to manage. The use of technology allowed easy adaptation and safe community involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic. This program could be easily replicated in other bioregions of California with similar oak conservation challenges.

The acorns harvested each year have an estimated value of $5,000 to $12,000. Reforestation efforts supported by the acorn harvesting program include direct-seeding and seedling planting projects that have established over 16,000 new native oak trees in the Sacramento region over the last 11 years. Successful tree planting and establishment practices include the use of locally derived, high-quality propagules and seedlings, tree protection materials targeted to site-specific hazards, soil and weather dependent supplemental irrigation, and strategic vegetation management. Educational experiences embedded within program operations support our organizational goal of an active and informed citizenry and are an additional benefit of the annual acorn harvest and reforestation efforts.