RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Have you seen any fallen acorns, walnuts, or chestnuts piling up on sidewalks, parking lots, or even your backyard? The Virginia Department of Forestry is encouraging residents to gather them to aid in cultivating tree species at its nurseries.

As of Monday, Sept. 15, the Virginia Department of Forestry announced that acorns, black walnuts, and chestnuts are dropping throughout the state, but many of them will not grow into trees—especially in urban areas.

The department is inviting the public to gather acorns and nuts this fall to donate, helping tree nurseries propagate species that are rare or specific to certain parts of Virginia.

Here is the list of nut and acorn species the department is seeking for donations, with the names highlighted in bold being “species of special interest”:

• Black Oak
• Black Walnut
• Chestnut Oak
• White Oak
• Bur Oak
• Cherrybark Oak
• Chinese Chestnut
• Chinkapin Oak
• Pin Oak
• Northern Red Oak
• Southern Red Oak
• Shumard Oak
• Swamp Chestnut Oak
• Swamp White Oak
• Water Oak
• Willow Oak
• Overcup Oak

The Virginia Department of Forestry said people can collect these nuts and acorns by doing the following:

• Bag them: Place acorns in a paper bag or cardboard box — no plastic bags.
• Tag them: Mark the bag or box with the date, species and location.
• Drop them: Drop them off at your closest Department of Forestry location.

The department requests that acorns and nuts be sorted by species. If identifying the species is difficult, include a leaf from the tree in the bag with the acorns. The department also provides an Acorn and Nut ID Guide featuring descriptions and photos to assist in identification.

Collectors are advised to only pick acorns and nuts from places where permission is granted and to avoid roadside areas. The department suggests selecting whole, intact acorns that are dark brown or green. Acorns do not need their caps.

Acorns and nuts collected for donation should be placed in a cool area until they can be dropped off. The department said the sooner the collections are dropped off, the better.

To ensure the collection of a single species, the department recommends collecting from yards, sidewalks and driveways as forest collections make it difficult to determine the trees of origin and often lead to mixing species.

Donations of acorns and nuts can be dropped off at any Department of Forestry office location every day by 5 p.m. until Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Collection areas will be designated outside each office, according to the department. To find the nearest office near you, use the “Find a Forester” tool on the Department of Forestry’s website home page.