That must be where the "green energy " kicks in...

I always heard it was frost or heavy rain during the pollunating time in spring that determined the amount of nuts

Apparently we got too much rain then. Haven’t seen much for acorns, our Sawtooths didn’t even produce this year. Even the persimmons were smaller than normal.

Why does it seem that the Walnut Trees produce every year when they are growing alongside a field oryard but not as regular in deeper woods?

Don't know about oaks specifically but in my area which was very dry, the seed or production was extremely high. Native or wild plants such as grapes the yields were huge, so were the apple trees both the wild and managed ones. My friend picks apples at an orchard and they have the most apples per tree they have ever had. My spruce trees grew even more cones than normal, as did the maple trees. The garden yields on crops like potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, etc. were above normal. As to where does that energy come from? A guess would be to me in overall plant growth. Say trees could due to creating more seeds may have put less energy into woody growth. I doubt it would impact leaf numbers much as that is the engine for repro and growth.
I know agronomy breeders that are working with drought tolerant corn so the corn belt can go further west are also seeing significant yield increases in general as the crops must be using water more efficiently. Trees also have the ability to move into water far below the surface as well.

None of this is real scientific nor am I a forester but this is what I have observed locally.

Bryce

very few walnuts from our trees this year

So a lot of good points made here about trees responding to stress. It’s really hard to pinpoint what causes good acorn crops some years and not so good other years. Intuitively I would think an oak responding to stress, like a drought, the response would be seen the year following the drought. One thing to think about is you said you are seeing it on red and white oaks. White oak species pollinate in the spring and the acorn develops through the summer and is mature that fall. Red oak species pollinate in the spring and the acorn stays on the tree through the first year, develops and matures the following year. So the red oaks you are seeing with lots of acorns put those acorns on in spring 2022.

Been covered a lot on the news and papers around here. Here is TV 7 Wausau's write up.

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - If you’ve been outside recently, there’s a high chance you’ve seen a lot of acorns lying around.

If it seems like there’s been more than in previous years, you’re not nutty, but there’s a reason for that. Every two to five years, oak trees go through what’s called a bumper crop. That’s when the trees produce way more acorns than in other years. While they may be annoying, they do have a positive effect on nature.

“Deer, bear, turkeys, squirrels will eat those acorns. It’s good for the environmental conditions of the tree, and it produces baby trees. So if you get enough acorns every year, some of them will escape the wildlife,” said Tom Lovlien, Forest Administrator at Wausau and Marathon County Parks, Recreation & Forestry.

In a typical year, a healthy oak tree produces around 2,000 acorns. In a mast year, which is what some oak trees are experiencing now, they can produce a whopping 10,000 acorns.

“If you have a large crop of acorns on your lawn, you might want to pick those up, because it will potentially have an effect on your grass,” said Lovlien. “If you’re going out barefoot you’re going to feel those on your feet, so I’d put some shoes on.”

Due to the fact that last fall was quite wet and spring was dry, Lovlien said the seeds germinated and produced more acorns. As far as winter is concerned, some people believe this overabundance of acorns means a harsh winter is on its way.

“What it means is the tree is just producing a higher than usual mass crop of acorns. It doesn’t really have any correlation,” said Lovlien.

I'm a retired forester.

it is generally true that [partially] stressed trees tend to produce more seed than average years. But there are so many variables that *I* haven't seen much more than anecdotal "evidence".

Re: the "energy" to produce the seed in a stressed condition...if I recall my classes {from LONG ago!}; I believe trees store carbohydrate in their root systems, for the spring leaf-out. I'm guessing some of those reserves are used for seed production, if the trees are triggered into DNA survival-mode.

I majored in forestry. Received a B.S. degree for it. From what I learned in college years ago, and what I have learned in the field, I can tell you that the "B.S." comes in handy for explaining exactly what causes a tree or group of trees to do anything.
All answers from all respectable foresters should start with, "I don't know."
After that, it frees them up to purculate, postulate, pontificate, in other words B.S. until it sounds plausible.
Their closing should also include, "I don't know."

I’ve heard the same message in college. I’m wondering if the prior year was bad, the tree begins preparing for more seed production the next year? Maybe tight growth rings indicate bad years and more seed production?

I think the weather has to be right , for the bees to pollinate the blossoms. If you get cold wet weather the bees won't be out of the hives. This was an exceptionally good year for our honey production and our apple trees are loaded.. We also have raspberry bushes, producing fruit now.old243

My back ground is forestry. Stress due to drought does 2 things to a tree. Protect life and proliferate. Tree roots will grow faster seeking moister spreading farther and deeper. This also the triggers seed. production.

Trees actually have lots of stored energy. A mature tree can defoliate one time and re leaf in the same year.
Example late frost or herbicide can be a cause of this.
Trees are amazing. All of nature is amazing. Survival instinct is embedded in all living things. Darwin’s Theory. Survival of the fittest. Evolution.

Our oak trees here are pretty drought tolerant. I think large acorn crops here are more dependent on good spring moisture when the tree is flowering and very little wind.

Bad winds in the spring here from thunderstorms blow the catkins off making less pollination and make less of a crop.

Even in very dry summers here, acorn production is pretty good so long as we did not get severe storms during the blooming season.

good read thanks guys

Good stuff, Heaviest acorn, walnut, apple crop I've seen in a long time. We had an incredibly dry May, June and part of July.

Yet we are supposed to believe that a half a degree of average temperature change is going to upset nature, and we are all going to die.

Exactly)))))))))!!!!! I remember in 1st grade. 1970 to be exact. We where told we are heading into an ice age. We where all going to have to move closer to the equator.)))))!!!!

I lost out on my last promotion because of my big mouth. We had a BIG meeting (hundreds of professionals) and a guest speaker on (you guessed it)...Climate Change.

The speaker went on and on about all of the current theories and proposed mitigation strategies, including "Assisted Migration". That means taking southern trees (southern oaks, for instance) and planting them up north ahead of the catastrophic changes coming. I couldn't take it. At the question and answer period, I asked him how he intended to keep them from freezing their nuts off until the climate actually changes.
Got a GREAT bid laugh from the audience. The powers that be didn't appreciate it. They had long memories!

I believe red oaks actually set the acorns the previous year and they fully mature the second growing season. Very light acorn year for us this year, last year was a huge crop. My local forester said about every 3-4 years is a bumper crop.