Squirrel-ly issue

Pine cone production around Hayden Lake may be down this year, but the area's squirrels are expected to survive the shortage.

Jason Kirchner, spokesman for the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, said the local cone crops have not yet been studied this year, but it would not be surprising if there are fewer cones.

"Stands of trees go through what's called 'cone crop periodicity.' This basically means that some years they will produce a lot of cones and other years they won't produce as much," Kirchner said.

There have been bumper crops of cones in recent years.

Drought can have some effect on the cone crop, Kirchner said, but it's minor.

In a letter to the editor published Friday in The Press, Donna Harvey of Hayden Lake noted a lack of cones in the forested area of Kootenai County where she lives.

"The squirrels are starving and have come to my window," Harvey wrote.

She encouraged citizens to help the squirrels by placing sunflower seeds or unsalted peanuts in the shells outdoors for the animals to eat.

"I think we will have a mass starvation of squirrels," Harvey penned.

Phil Cooper, wildlife conservation educator with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in North Idaho, said while squirrels do eat a lot of pine seeds, there are other things the bushy-tailed beasts will feed on here in Kootenai County: berries, mushrooms, fruits, seeds and nuts of plants and trees other than conifers, and occasional invertebrates.

Cooper and Kirchner each said the tree-climbers are resourceful at finding alternate sources of food when cone crop periodicity results in a decline in cones.

Kirchner said it's unlikely the animals are going to Harvey's window because they're hungry.

"Squirrels are very opportunistic, and once you start feeding them they will keep coming back, and the number of squirrels returning is likely to increase if they all keep receiving free meals," Kirchner told The Press. "It's an interesting observation she (Harvey) has brought up, but our agency wouldn't support the assertion that we are on the verge of a mass starvation of squirrels."