September 5, 2023
Join us in our mission to collect 100,000 acorns to grow and plant 10,000 Oregon White Oaks back into the Willamette Valley. Our Growing Oaks initiative with Willamette University continues and we’re looking for acorn-collecting volunteers!
About the Growing Oaks Project: Last spring, LIVE partnered with a group of environmental science students from Willamette University to distribute oak saplings to our members. Their group, called Growing Oaks, was formed to promote the growth and protection of the Oregon White Oak. This collaboration was the beginning of a larger project aimed to help restore native oak habitat to the Willamette Valley.
If this sounds like a project you’d like to be involved in, here’s how you can help:
Acorn Collection: If you have White Oaks (Quercus garryana) on your property and/or know where to collect White Oak acorns, we welcome and encourage you to gather as many Oregon White Oak acorns this fall as you can and drop them off at an Oak Hub closest to you (see section below.)
At the drop-off locations, you will find supplies to pack the acorns in a baggie with vermiculite to then be picked up, geotagged, and potted by students and volunteers. To aid you in your collections we have prepared a helpful guide at the bottom of the article. This will answer questions on what to look for, what time of year to look, and how to identify the Oregon White Oak specifically.
Oak Hub Acorn Drop-Off Locations: Six wineries across the Willamette Valley have volunteered to act as Oak Hubs throughout the Willamette Valley:
- Argyle Winery
- Bethel Heights Vineyard
- Coeur De Terre
- Left Coast Cellars
- Union Wine Company
- Van Duzer Vineyards
Please choose the drop-off location closest to you and be sure to view the document at the bottom of the article for site-specific drop-off instructions.
Sapling Distribution: From previous years’ acorn harvests, the Willamette students have nursed around 400 saplings to be distributed this fall. The acorns collected this fall will be grown by Growing Oaks later in the spring, and saplings will be planted/donated to interested private/public properties.
Follow The Progress: In this interactive map, put together by Willamette Valley students, you can view all the locations of Oregon White Oaks protected and planted under the project as well as information on where the tree came from and who donated the acorn.
LIVE will also be documenting participation in the project so be sure to follow us on Instagram @livecertified for project updates.
We aim for this to be a fun and impactful project and one that you can share with your families and customers. If you have any questions about our work, you can contact LIVE or Growing Oaks.
Acorn Collection Resources:
Acorn Collection Guide (for everyone!)
