Acorns are the major food source of white-footed mice during winter and are extensively cached.
A large mast crop in fall usually correlates with a large mouse population the following summer, whereas a poor crop correlates with low population numbers. It has been hypothesized that a large mast crop increases overwinter survival and may allow continued reproduction during the winter months, which results in a larger population the following year. We estimate acorn production with timed visual surveys following methods adapted from Koenig et al. Individual tagged trees on two small mammal trapping plots are surveyed each year by two observers. Detailed methods are described in the metadata.