We have had a bad drought this year in VA and the problem in regards to oaks is not only less mast crop but if you have a couple of drought years followed by heavy rains it can rot root systems and then if you get 1 or 2 bad nor-easterns you can lose some big trees. A few years ago we lost nearly 20% of the old white oaks we had ina particularbottom on our property and read about it happening throughout many parts of VA due to the rootproblems. The conditions are right for a repeat, I sure hope not though.