Olpea, thats interesting on the relative insect pressure -- sounds similar to fruit trees but less extreme all around since the thick shells slow 'em down. Here is a draft of my overview I put together .. I roughy ranked them in the order I think they would be interested in given the need for large trees with no maintenance but good nuts. I'm not sure what to say about almonds but I have heard of no success stories in my climate. Similar for pine nuts, but it seems like they would work better. Edible Landscaping is selling some nut pines. It seems like they would be a good deal if you are wanting to put in some pine trees anyway. The description overviews are from some permaculture book I found online (West Coast Food Forestry), it has the size pollination etc basic info. Scott Nuts for Maryland For all nuts except for chestnuts squirrels are a big problem in Maryland. They can get all the crop until the tree is large. Overall, if choosing the right varieties nut trees should generally do OK without any spraying or pruning, but like any oak or maple there are plenty of problems that can arise if you get unlucky. Pecan Generally easy to grow but scab can be a problem. Two trees needed for pollination, one type 1 and one type 2; not all 1/2 pairs overlap well so its best to get a pair known to pollinate each other. Many varieties are hardy in Maryland but make sure to avoid more tender varieties. Some varieties have a harvest too late for our climate. One excellent pair is Kanza - Major. Other good varieties with early harvest and scab resistance include Caddo (type 1), Mandan (type 1). Northern Pecan (Carya illinoensis)- 70-90 ft tall and 30-40 ft wide North American tree grown for its delicious nut (10% protein, 88% fat, high in Cu, Zn, Mn). Smaller nuts than southern varieties. Needs two for best pollination and a warm microclimate. Prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soil of wide pH. May only yield during especially hot Summers in cooler areas. Pollination inhibited by high humidity. Easy to grow. Disease-resistant (including oak root fungus). Casts heavy shade. Flowers April- May, ripens Oct. Propagated from stratified seed, softwood cuttings, layering, root suckers. Hickory (two kinds, shellbark and shagbark) Very nice landscape specimens; shagbark has bark like a shaggy dog's fur Very good-tasting nuts, some of the best Varieties resistant to weevil: Lindauer shellbark, J.Yoder #1 shagbark Slow to come into bearing Scab and phylloxera are minor problems generally not needing treatment; shellbark usually does better with scab. Shagbarks taste better and crack better but are a bit smaller nuts. Two needed for pollination; do most pairs pollinate each other? The HIcan is a shellbark/pecan cross which is also supposed to be a good-tasting nut. Hickory- 60- 120 ft tall and 40 ft wide trees of two North American species, shellbark (Carya laciniosa) and shagbark (C. ovata), that produce flavorful nuts (13% protein, 64% fat, and high in thiamin, Cu, Mg, Zn, Mn) with thick shells. Also produce hardwood. Prefer full sun. Shellbarks can tolerate seasonal flooding and poor drainage, while shagbarks will grow in heavy clay soil, are wind-tolerant, and can be coppiced. Thinner-shelled and larger nut varieties available. Fall color. Need two for pollination. Resistant to oak root fungus. Cast heavy shade. Shellbarks flower April- May, ripen Sept- Oct. Shagbarks flower June, ripen Oct-Nov. Propagated from stratified seed. Black Walnut Fairly fast bearing Seedlings also an option for cheaper trees - they usually produce good trees if seed is from named varieties. Stronger flavor than store-bought kind (carpathian) Varieties: Emma Kay, Sparrow, Thomas Meyers, Daniels, Sauber, Neel #1, Clermont, Pounds #2, Kwik Krop Look for anthracnose resistance in variety Thousand cankers disease could be a major problem in a few years - unclear since it is so far out west only. Litter from husks can stain sidewalks etc and make a general mess. Need to pay attention to what is planted nearby - juglone produced by roots can stunt or kill other plants. Hard to crack, best with a specialized cracker. Pollination not necessary but helps yield Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)- up to 120 x 60 ft tree usually grown for its fine, rot-resistant wood, but also for its nut which contains 30% protein and 59% fat (and has an extremely thick and hard shell, though thinner-shelled varieties are available). Nuts are high in Cu, Mg, Mn, and vit B6. Fast-growing. Tolerates wetter soil than English walnut, but not year-round saturation. Will grow in heavy clay. Prefers alkaline soil. Wind and drought-tolerant.Disease and fire-resistant. More productive with multiple varieties. Excretes chemicals toxic to certain plants (allelopathic especially to apples). Casts heavy shade. Flowers March- June, ripens Sept- Nov. Propagated by stratified seeds. Chestnut Think of a chestnut as a nut-potato cross, they are somewhere between those two. Make sure to get the Chinese-American crosses which are resistant to chestnut blight. Dunstan clones are good. Two are needed for pollination; Dunstans are seedlings so any two of those will work. Not picky about location, in particular can tolerate dryness. Problems with burrs piercing shoes; flower smell is also somewhat unappealing to some (but not as bad as e.g. Ginko). Nuts don't store as long as other nuts, but can be stored like root vegetables to lengthen use period. Trees grow very wide Chestnut (Castanea spp.)- numerous varieties reaching 30- 60 ft tall and wide (European chestnut [C. sativa] can get up to 100 x 100 ft) grown primarily for its sweet nut, being compared to potato (5-10% complete protein, 9% fat), and also for its rot-resistant wood. An 8 ft dwarf Korean chestnut (C. crenata) is also available. Nuts are high in Cu, Mn, B vitamins, and vit C and do not store long unless dried, stored airtight in sand, or refrigerated, but they can be used like other grains and ground into flour. Drought-tolerant. Does not like wet soil. Prefers acidic soil. Need two for pollination (can plant two in one hole). Easy to grow. Yellow in Fall. Can be coppiced for nuts and wood.Blight-resistant varieties (usually hybrids with Chinese chestnut [C. mollisima]) preferable. European chestnut is resistant to oak root fungus. Casts heavy shade.Flowers July, ripens Oct- Nov. Propagated from seed (yields in 5- 7 years), root suckers. Filbert More like a fruit tree in size compared to usual nut trees. Need varieties resistant to eastern blight. Does not tolerate drought but is easy to grow otherwise. Need two trees for pollination. Filbert (Corylus spp.)- 10- 15 ft tall and wide multi-stemmed tree grown for its nuts, which are 13% protein, 61% fat, high in Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, B vitamins, and vit E. Nuts store for over a year. Very productive and easy to grow. Can take partial shade, late frost, wind, wet soil, and a wide pH. Does not like intense Summer heat. Forms an excellent hedge when planted at 4 ft intervals. Fruits on last year’s new wood. Must have appropriate pollinating varieties as companions. Fall color. Blight- resistant varieties preferable (especially in north). Must harvest nuts early to beat squirrels. Casts heavy shade. Flowers Jan- April, ripens Sept- Oct. Propagated by seed, division, layering. Pine nuts Several pine trees can produce nuts: Chinese white pine, Korean pine, Italian Stone Pine. Two trees are needed for nuts. Don't know anyone growing these in Maryland for nuts so don't know disease and other potential problems. White pine blister rust is a problem but Korean pine is resistant to it. Cones take several years to form seeds but new cones form each year. Italian Stone Pine (Pinus pinea)- 30- 70 ft tall and 30- 60 ft wide, umbrella-shaped tree produces sweet pine nuts (14% protein, 68% fat) in a 5 inch cone. Cones open when left in direct sunlight. Nuts high in Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Zn, B vitamins, vit E and K. Sun-lover. Needs well-drained soil. Tolerant of heat, drought, and wind. Flammable. Easy to grow. Need two for nuts. Zone 9 only. Susceptible to oak root fungus, otherwise disease and deer-resistant. Allelopathic. Flowers May- June, ripens April. Propagated by seed (yields in ten years). Heartnut Ornamental and spreading tropical-looking tree. Buartnut is similar. Flavor fairly bland so less interesting on that count. Heartnut (Juglans ailantifolia cordiformis)- 40 ft beautiful Japanese walnut, wider than tall with horizontal branches, but similar to English walnut. Nuts are sweeter, but smaller and harder to remove than English walnuts. Prefers alkaline soil. Fire- resistant. Easy and fast to grow. Self-fertile. Disease-resistant. Casts heavy shade. Flowers May-June, ripens Oct. Almond Not very well adapted to our climate, likes drier warmer climate. No reports of people happy with their almond. Trees are small; a relative of the peach Can have fungal problems on leaves; Halls Hardy also suffers from moth damage Varieties: Halls Hardy is considered not very good tasting by some; it also is not a standard almond, it has a thick shell, and moths attack it -- not recommended. Ripon is one regular almond variety that is hardy that could be worth a trial. Almond (Prunus amygdalus or dulcis)- 20- 30 ft x 30 ft attractive tree produces nutritious nut. Semi-dwarfs also available. Nuts are 22% protein, 53% fat, and high in Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn, vit E, and riboflavin. Drought-tolerant. Needs full sun, well- drained soil, and hot, dry Summers. Vulnerable to late Spring frosts, so late-blooming varieties are often essential. Dislikes wind. Likes alkaline soil. Somewhat fire-resistant. Remove 20% of oldest fruiting wood annually. Susceptible to oak root fungus. Harvest nuts when shells split to beat the squirrels. ‘Hall’s Hardy’ and ‘Reliable’ (see listing under Short Nut Trees) are the best for coastal California and further north. ‘Hall’s Hardy’ produces thick-shelled, strong-flavored almonds and is disease-resistant and partially self-fertile. Some people say that its nuts need to be boiled to remove their bitterness. Flowers Febr- April, ripens Aug- Oct. Persian Walnut (carpathian, English) Should also work but people growing nut trees seem to prefer black walnuts, they taste better and are less bitter. Also not native where the black walnut is native

Thanks for your input knuttle. I know this would be a huge expense. Our neighbors across the street just had several very large eucaplytus removed from their backyard (even taller than our gum tree). They had had concerns with branches breaking and landing on their house when Santa Ana winds come around. It took over three days to remove their trees and I can only imagine the cost. The cost alone could be enough to prevent us from taking our tree out. I guess there used to be several gum trees planted in our neighborhood. It seems everyone else has already taken theirs out and we're the last ones to still have one. I will look into the city laws as well. That thought hadn't crossed my mind. Perhaps a good option right now would be to have the tree trimmed. I don't think it's ever been properly trimmed and there are several large branches close to our house. And I will absolutely add "picking up pods" to my kids' chore list. :) At any rate, like I mentioned, we won't be making any definitive decisions this year. We'd like to at least have a full year in our house to get a better idea of the year-round maintenance of the tree before we just cut it down. (And I knew you were joking about blowing the pods down the hill. We'd also like to stay friends with our neighbors.) :)

This Fall, harvest all the ripe acorns you find. Do not limit yourself to only the oaks growing on your lot. Pay attention to mature oaks around town, which are only about 20 to 30 years old. If you find any of these oaks, which you especially like, then offer the property owner where the tree is growing your service to do a one time sweep over the area where the acorns have dropped, and collect all you can find. Do this for as many locations as you have the energy and time to collect. Each time you bring a bunch home, immediately dump them into a bucket of water. Skim off all that float and throw them away, or grind them up and throw the ground acorns anywere you want to help enrich the soil. Drain the water off all the acorns which sank to the bottom of the pale. Gently shake them dry, and spread them outside for the sun to finish drying. If you do this where there are animals, which feed on acorns, you may need to cover them with a mesh that is made and then installed in a manner which keeps the animals from taking them for food. While the acorns are drying, line up a number of one gallon sized black nursery pots, which you have filled with a woody and high humus type, well draining potting soil. Place all the pots under the shade of your mature oak trees. Then poke the acorns into the pots of soil. Space the acorns about 4 inches apart. and repeat until you have filled each pot. After doing this you will need to secure the type of wire mesh over the pots, which will keep the squirrels and other acorn loving animals from digging up the acorns. Then leave the pots alone. Some of these acorns you have collected will sprout next spring when the new rains arrive for that year, Others will take 2 or even 3 more years before they sprout. And others will simply end up rotting and creating food for the ones which have sprouted. Each Spring, whenever you see any that have sprouted, begin to watched them closely and transplanted the ones into individual one gallon pots, which end up growing tall enough for their tops to touch the mesh you installed over the pots to keep the squirrels out. Make certain that once some of the acorns have sprouted, and if the spring rains are not frequent enough, you have kept the pots watered only enough to keep the potting soil just moist but never soggy. For the ones which will need to be transplanted into their own one gallon sized pots, When transplanting, Make sure to keep quite a bit of potting soil around the roots and try to not disturb the roots much when transplanting. After planting any of the sprouted ones into their own one gallon pots, inspect them each day, and keep them watered just enough to keep the soil in the pots evenly moist, but not soggy. These individually potted sprouts do not need to be covered with mesh, because the acorn eating animals will prefer acorns which have not been so transformed as these young water sprouts will have cause them to be. Keep these one gallon sized sprouted trees watered and under the mature oaks shade until late winter, or early spring, just prior to them breaking dormancy. At that time you can cut the bottoms out of the pots and plant these trees pot and all in a well draining and humus rich virgin soil nursery bed, which you have pre-installed in an area, which receives full morning and noonday sun and hottest part of the afternoon shade. Keep these beds watered enough for the soil to remain evenly moist, but not soggy. Also they will do better if the ground in the nursery bed is mulched with lightly shredded oak leaves which you collected from your mature oak trees earlier that winter. After these trees you plant in the nursery bed have grown well during the following Spring, Summer, Fall, and most of the winter of that year, then in late winter just prior to them breaking dormancy, dig out enough soil to expose the remaining sides of the one gallon pots around the tree's rootball, and cut the sides of those pots in a manner which will allow you to completely remove the pot without disturbing much the young tree's root ball and tap root. This step should not be too hard to accomplish since earlier you had already removed the bottoms of the pots. Fill the nursery bed soil back around the tree's root ball, and continue caring for the trees until they are the size you want them to be before you are willing to transplant them to their place where you want them to grow on your property. Just make certain that once they reach that size, you do not try to transplant them until they have gone dormant. With oaks, since so many of them do not drop their leaves in the fall, they usually transplant better in the late winter or early spring, just prior to them breaking leaf bud. I like to bare root transplant my young oaks that are grown in a nursery bed by the time their their trunks are no larger than 1/4th inch in diameter. Even then be sure to dig them deeply to keep as much of the tap root as possible. Any larger of a trunk will do better if they are dug with much of the soil around the rootball still around the roots, and secured together with burlap and string. Usually the ball and burlaped ones end up with their tap roots cut shorter than I like to see done with Oak trees. Of course most tree farms commonly cut that size and even thicker trunked oaks tap roots much shorter than I prefer, and if planted properly those trees usually seem to have adjusted well enough, even inspite of that practice. ************** If the Mature oak trees on your lot produce lots of young water sprouts from acorns they have dropped under their canopies, simply dig them up when they are about 6 inches tall. take lots of dirt with them, dig down deep enough to get all of the young tap root, and disturb the roots as little as possible. Then transplant them in your field wherever you want them to grow. The best ones of these little sprouts to dig and transplant are the ones which still are connected to the spit open acorn from which they grew. When transplanting dig and handle, throughout the transplant process, the sprout in a manner, which will not dislodge the acorn that the sprout still needs to feed on once it is first transplanted.

OK, I'll close this out with one more thing. Had dinner with a plant biologist tonight, and was told that no, chlorophyll isn't the main nitrogen bearing protein in green plants. It is (ready for this?) -- RuBisCO (which stands for a chemical name that is quite awesomely long -- look it up). That stuff is the most abundant protein/enzyme in green leaves, and contains about 30% of the leaf nitrogen. It is not green. RuBisCO is probably the most abundant enzyme on Earth! No, chlorophyll is just a handy green marker for where the stuff will be found. Chlorophyll is a minor carrier of green leaf protein and nitrogen. As for chlorophyll, RuBisCO is pulled apart and absorbed into the stem or roots upon senescence of the leaves. So little nitrogen is left in the leaves that fall naturally. Plenty of it in foliage that is harvested while green and dried (as in hay). That is precisely why hay is a feedstock and straw is not. Hay is vastly more nutritious. Lots more protein and, as a result, lots more nitrogen. Botany 101, I am told. This is why, you can see, it isn't smart to strip green leaves off of trees for compost because the leaves are just going to fall anyway. You'd be robbing the tree of vital nitrogen. So, you can have brown stuff with lots of protein and nitrogen. Protein -- that's what you want with your carbs in compost. Thank you acorns for making this come up!