Mast, An Important Wildlife Food Source Fred H. Montague, Jr., Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Mast is a term used to describe the fruits of woody plants. The fruits of maple, elm, ash, basswood, and pine are dry mast compared to the fleshy fruits of trees like black cherry and mulberry. Squirrels and chipmunks are the most conspicuous forms of wildlife that depend on hard mast for food. A wide variety of animals, however, eat hard-shelled fruits.
Hard mast is an especially important wildlife food in the fall and winter.
Acorns are perhaps the most widely available and K most commonly used form of mast. Issued in furtherance of the acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914.