The Mockernut is slow growing as are most hickories. Mockernuts reproduce from seed and stump sprouts. The Mockernut is a mast-fruiting species, producing heavy seed crops at irregular intervals, though some seeds are borne every year. Seeds are cached by squirrels and germinate in spring. Seedlings survive for long periods only in gaps.

Hickories live for only 100-200 years. In recent years, there has been a considerable decline in hickories following severe droughts of the 1980s.

The Mockernut hickory is an important food source for gray squirrels. Nuts are sweet and delicious for human consumption.

Hickories are used to make tool handles, furniture, cabinets, sporting goods, etc. Hickory veneer use is increasing in importance, especially for face veneers, though all hickories suffer from ring shake. Ring shake is a separation of wood along the annual rings, and is a serious defect for thin veneers.

Mockernuts are large, sweet and very rich in fats and oils. They were an important food source for Native Americans as well as for early European settlers . Wood ash of hickory mixed with water makes lye, which is important for making hominy from corn.