Why are oak trees dropping clusters of leaves recently?

Question:

Why are oak trees dropping clusters of leaves recently? Is it due to drought?

Answer:

Jonathan Foster, Community Education Assistant

As it happens, this is a timely question and you aren’t the only homeowner who has noticed the clusters of leaf litter–we’re getting it about oaks and pines, as well.

The culprit is most likely the Eastern grey squirrel, hungry late in the season and looking for food. In both oaks and pines, they feed and forage voraciously on the acorns and cones, and nip off the tips of green boughs in the process. You can read about it in a brand new blog post by the State of Maine (a similar resource from the State of Wisconsin tells the same story). Unless the damage is so widespread that you’re noticing real loss of canopy, the worst part will be the raking.

As the Lion King taught us, it’s all part of the circle of life.