I was asked by someone to cut some American chestnut wood that came down in a storm. Thing is, I have no idea if this is in fact chestnut America or Chinese? Anyway to know for sure? This is what I have sawn so far
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Judging from the shortness of the logs and diameter, I would say Chinese. There aren't many American chestnuts that get that size in diameter and they don't fork that soon.
Thank you. It may very well be Chinese. I was concerned that it was even chestnut! However, they came and picked this wood up yesterday and told me they had been eating chestnuts off this tree for years so at least I feel good about it being chestnut!
Thought others would be interested or help in the effort to bring back the American Chestnut tree. Reviving the American forest with the American chestnut | William Powell | TEDxDeExtinction
https://youtu.be/WYHQDLCmgyg (https://youtu.be/WYHQDLCmgyg?fbclid=IwAR2DAkUJD_kYpCDBx6XwQeb-rNmjpJYdWUAFf42BSz6TQCgCHsWd23l9Vac)
I have several American Chestnut trees that keep trying to make a go of it. Been watching them and trying to help them for 35 years now. They grow for about 3 or 4 years and some have actually had nuts. The the orange blight sets in about knee height and within the year girdle the tree. But, those roots just will not give up and keep pushing up new saplings. Some of them are along the stone wall near the road so we try and keep the town from wacking them when they are clearing brush roadside, same with the power company. Maybe someday we will be able to give them something that makes them resistant to the blight and these guys will get big again.
Hope this is not hijacking, seems like the title and this question goes together!
Chestnut?
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This seems to be the situation Rhodemont described earlier. Get to s certain size and die. I am assuming this is Chestnut but would like someone to validate.
I keep going back and forth, they look kind of pudgy, is there a big beech nearby? A chestnut is long and narrowish, a beech shorter and wider with less pronounced serration.
Sure looks like chestnut to me.
I use to run across chestnuts in north Ala. and south Tennessee timber cruising. They would never be over 3 to 4 inches and all would be infected with the orange blight fungi. Sad to see. I remember as a child in the early 60s going to the Smokey Mountains and seeing large dead chestnut tree trunks standing on the hillsides I was reminded of that when I took a trip to Mich. last year and about at the north Tennessee line started seeing all the dead ash trees being killed by the ash borer that is heart breaking!! If something ever happens to the oak trees GOD FORBID we would be living in a land of mimosa, popcorn trees, and Kudzu.
Could be beech or chestnut. Bark there looks grey like beech, not brownish like chestnut. Remember that leaf morphology changes in the shade versus full sunlight. ;)
Pointy buds - beech
blunt buds - chestnut
Thanks for feedback. I don't recall nearby trees but will look next time we are in Va. Honestly had not considered beech after seeing the dead serrated leaves while most everything else was green. I jumped to a conclusion it may be chestnut that had reached an age/size to blight.
The buds should nail it down. :)
One of the boys trying to make a go of it.
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