Every few years, trees can decide to produce a huge number of nuts and seeds and drop them all on the ground at the same time. This means that there is more than plenty for all the birds, mice and squirrels to feed on and there are probably quite a few seeds that get left uneaten. These seeds then go into the ground and lie dormant over winter. In the spring, they germinate and grow up a little saplings that in the future will make their own nuts and seeds!
You might think that the trees would do this more often as it sounds like a good way to ensure that lots of seeds get sown leading to more trees growing. However, it takes a lot of energy from the trees to grow so many nuts and seeds and it actually stunts their growth when they do this. Therefore, trees only have a mast year every 5-10 years so that they can continue to grow tall.
The other mystery is how the trees know to do this all at the same time! It wouldn't really work if only one tree dropped it nuts and seeds as they would probably all get eaten. Scientists reckon that trees have a clever way of communicating through the soil, and that the weather also has something to do with helping the trees time their bumper crop.
To find out more, click here to visit the Wildlife Trusts' webpage about mast years and why autumn 2020 has been such a good year 🌰🌲🍂
