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Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees #6738107
01/21/20 12:47 AM
01/21/20 12:47 AM
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 6,683
Newark, Ohio 83 years
Actor Online content OP
trapper
Actor  Online Content OP
trapper

Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 6,683
Newark, Ohio 83 years
I have always had a great fascination with the American Chestnut trees, ever since when I was a small boy my great uncle and grandfather told me about how larger they were. I never saw a grown one as they were all pretty well gone before I was born. Then one day I was squirrel hunting in a new area and came across some old stumps. I could lay down on the stumps and at 5'10" it was about 3 or 4 feet wider than I was tall.

My grandfather and uncle told about one near where they lived t 7 men holding hands couldn't reach around it. When the nuts were ripe you could sit under that tree and shoot 25 or 30 squirrels out it. They said you had to use a rifle because they couldn't knock them out of the top of tree with a shotgun.

Here is a couple of old-time photos that are supposed to be American chestnut trees. They accompanied an article about the trees, so I would guess they were American Chestnut trees. I knew an old guy that had a barn full of wormy chestnut boards. They were 12 to 18 feet in length and some of them were 24 inches wide. I asked him, since the trees were so wider than that why he didn't have them wider? He said because no one around at the time had a saw that could cut anything wider.

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

Garry-


“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

Have been trapping 77 years…
Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738113
01/21/20 01:02 AM
01/21/20 01:02 AM
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,527
Champaign County, Ohio.
K
KeithC Online content
trapper
KeithC  Online Content
trapper
K

Joined: May 2009
Posts: 15,527
Champaign County, Ohio.
I would love to have American chestnut trees, American elms and the soon to be gone, white ash trees, common again.

I want to plant some of the resistant hybrid American/Chinese chestnut trees on my farm this year.

Keith

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738124
01/21/20 01:32 AM
01/21/20 01:32 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,192
AR
T
TurkeyWrangler Offline
trapper
TurkeyWrangler  Offline
trapper
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,192
AR
Yes but I'm more interested in the Ozark Chinquapin as that was what use to be around here. Lot of information on the site below if you haven't heard of one before.



https://ozarkchinquapinmembership.org/historic-range/


Poor people have poor ways.
Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738132
01/21/20 01:54 AM
01/21/20 01:54 AM
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 6,323
se South Dakota
NonPCfed Offline
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NonPCfed  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 6,323
se South Dakota
Yeah, some of the old growth photos from about any forested region in North America are pretty mind boggling in many cases.

I think time is on the side of the American chestnut because specimens still grows but almost never achieves much size before the blight gets them but there are reports of a few specimens that have actually gotten to young adulthood or more. I suppose after enough generations of genetic selection, sooner or later a completely resistant strain will emerge, even without the help of Chinese genes. Reading the USFS snippet below, it appears its getting closer to reality...

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/201...ck-near-mythical-american-chestnut-trees


"And God said, Let us make man in our image �and let them have dominion �and all the creatures that move along the ground".
Genesis 1:26
Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738153
01/21/20 03:45 AM
01/21/20 03:45 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,995
Oregon
beaverpeeler Offline
trapper
beaverpeeler  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,995
Oregon
Garry, I got to see the Morton grove of American chestnuts in 1985 before they succumbed to the blight. They were planted in Lincoln Nebraska in 1856 by Caroline Morton ((the Morton salt people) from nuts that she had brought out west from her home state of New York. I was there in the fall and just gloried in watching the squirrels jumping around up at the top of the trees knocking nuts down. I think there were about 6-7 trees and they were all over 100 ft tall.

I have one of the seedlings planted on the farm. It's about 35 ft tall now.

If you like chestnuts you will love the American chestnut. They're small but very sweet and flavorful.


My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738161
01/21/20 04:58 AM
01/21/20 04:58 AM
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 3,009
ohio
T
tomahawker Offline
trapper
tomahawker  Offline
trapper
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 3,009
ohio
There’s one up north almost 90 ft tall and 5 ft circumference. Look up Sheldon Marsh Chestnut, it’s close to Lake Erie.

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738162
01/21/20 05:06 AM
01/21/20 05:06 AM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 2,446
Tug Hill, NY
S
Squash Offline
trapper
Squash  Offline
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S

Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 2,446
Tug Hill, NY
Yes, the chestnut blight is an American tragedy . They were the most valuable hardwood trees in North America. Not only for their lumber but even more important for the mast crop they produced.

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: beaverpeeler] #6738163
01/21/20 05:10 AM
01/21/20 05:10 AM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,892
eastern WV
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Ridge Runner1960 Offline
trapper
Ridge Runner1960  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,892
eastern WV
ya need 2 of them, they are not self pollinating. the original root stock is still sprouting here, get up to approx. 20" in diameter and succumb to the blight.
RR

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738178
01/21/20 06:07 AM
01/21/20 06:07 AM

K
krispcritter
Unregistered
krispcritter
Unregistered
K



My father-in-law has some boards he had milled from a log that came out of the Barcelona Harbor when it was dredged many years ago. They think it may have been part of the original piers from the late 1800's or early 1900's. Beautiful wood.

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738187
01/21/20 06:37 AM
01/21/20 06:37 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,660
Minnesota
330-Trapper Offline

trapper
330-Trapper  Offline

trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 62,660
Minnesota
Boy to have a time machine...that would be something!!!

Thanks for posting Actor


NRA and NTA Life Member
www.BackroadsRevised@etsy.com




Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738192
01/21/20 06:48 AM
01/21/20 06:48 AM
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,574
NH
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trapNH Offline
trapper
trapNH  Offline
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Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,574
NH
I have half a dozen of the true American chestnut trees, 2 of them are producing nuts. The big shots from the chestnut association have checked them and they are true. The cross pollinated mine with pollen from the Virginia farm and now we have a bunch of small trees growing around the area. There are a number of wild trees in the area but they seem to get the blight as they get bigger, so far mine are clean and 2 of them are 40 to 50 years old as my father dug them from under a wild one and planted them at that time. The northeast chapter of the chestnut association has been getting nuts from my tree for several years now.

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: trapNH] #6738197
01/21/20 06:54 AM
01/21/20 06:54 AM
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,892
new york
M
mike mason Offline
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,892
new york
Many good books on the American Chestnuts. Mighty Giants is a good one to read.

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738241
01/21/20 07:57 AM
01/21/20 07:57 AM
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,967
Ohio
OhioBoy Offline
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Ohio
I ran across the biggest stump I had ever seen years ago hunting. Must have been a chestnut then I guess. Pretty neat. I would love to get back there and see if its still there. Maybe I'll ask this spring.

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: trapNH] #6738244
01/21/20 08:01 AM
01/21/20 08:01 AM
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 480
Alabama
K
KB64 Offline
trapper
KB64  Offline
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K

Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 480
Alabama
Originally Posted by trapNH
I have half a dozen of the true American chestnut trees, 2 of them are producing nuts. The big shots from the chestnut association have checked them and they are true. The cross pollinated mine with pollen from the Virginia farm and now we have a bunch of small trees growing around the area. There are a number of wild trees in the area but they seem to get the blight as they get bigger, so far mine are clean and 2 of them are 40 to 50 years old as my father dug them from under a wild one and planted them at that time. The northeast chapter of the chestnut association has been getting nuts from my tree for several years now.


Do you sell any of the Chestnuts from your trees ? I'd love to have a couple of dozen

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738245
01/21/20 08:01 AM
01/21/20 08:01 AM
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 28,978
potter co. p.a.
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pcr2 Offline
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 28,978
potter co. p.a.
found a pair 30 yrs ago,dropping nuts on a loggin road.died within 5 yrs.wish i had kept some of the nuts but was told the blight would kill any that grew.

did learn not to put those nuts in your shirt pocket quick--real quick

blight resistant ones will be my next ones i plant on the farm.









Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738251
01/21/20 08:07 AM
01/21/20 08:07 AM
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 6,323
se South Dakota
NonPCfed Offline
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NonPCfed  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 6,323
se South Dakota
Wow, its good to hear that there are American chestnuts getting big enough to produce nuts and yet not dying. Maybe a blight-free tree will return to be a common member of the eastern landscape once more. Wouldn't it be great to see a big money bags person, such as Warren Buffet, or even the federal gov (gasp!!) throw in some serious money to be aggressive about getting a blight free tree to return to the eastern forests!! Wouldn't that be "environmental" and potentially job creating in multiple ways...?

But I guess there's no power to be gained in do such a good thing, and isn't it gaining more and more power really what's behind using big money...?


"And God said, Let us make man in our image �and let them have dominion �and all the creatures that move along the ground".
Genesis 1:26
Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738257
01/21/20 08:13 AM
01/21/20 08:13 AM
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,574
NH
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trapNH Offline
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Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,574
NH
The chestnut association is working on a blight resistant tree, they are being crossed with the Chinese chestnut and bck crossed so in the ent they will be 15-16th American and blight resistant.

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738272
01/21/20 08:29 AM
01/21/20 08:29 AM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,683
PA
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gryhkl Offline
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,683
PA
One of my sons spent his summer two years ago working on an American chestnut project. He and another student went around western and central PA monitoring the health and taking measurements of the trees in stands of hopefully blight resistant chestnut that have been planted over the years. He was told that most stands are planted way of the beaten path because of problems with theft of the trees.

There is lots of chestnut in our old farmhouse even though it was built a few years before the blight killed most of the chestnut around here. A very old barn on the dairy farm I worked on as a kid and young man has one side(the side that gets the worst weather exposure)that had all of the siding replaced at some point in it's life with chestnut.

I have worked with some of the coarse grained wood. It sort of reminds me elm.
It's a shame that a tree that was so valuable to wildlife is pretty much gone. Hopefully groups like the American chestnut foundation will be successful and a couple generations from now the trees with again be common in it's native range.

Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738275
01/21/20 08:30 AM
01/21/20 08:30 AM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,365
New York border
Cragar Offline
trapper
Cragar  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,365
New York border


Short vid , some nice vintage pics


NRA benefactor member
Re: Anyone have interest in American Chestnut trees [Re: Actor] #6738278
01/21/20 08:32 AM
01/21/20 08:32 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,579
Duluth, MN
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Clark Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,579
Duluth, MN
There have been several photos like you posted attributed to American chestnut. When the trees are as massive as those above it is almost always redwoods that are pictured. Chestnuts grew large but from what I’ve read 8’ was the top end for diameter. Probably quite a few that were 4-6’ diameter but nothing like what is pictured.


Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. -Albert Einstein
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