Chestnuts

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
Has anyone planted any of the Dunstan Chestnut trees trying to upgrade the mast crop in your area. I planted 3 last year, and plan on planting at least 2 more this year. They are expensive little trees, but they should help draw in the deer and squirrels in a few years.

Pappy
 

redka

Senior Member
I planted ten last winter, one died. Ordered them online before i found out some walmarts were selling them. Had to water them frequently thru the summer. Might get a few more if any WM's near me have them now.
 

NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
I planted several about ten-twelve years ago in a landscape situation, they are producing loads of chestnuts now.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
I was reading online that some Walmarts have them. I am going to check the one my son works at in a few minutes. I would love to have 5 or 6 producing chestnuts on my property. I bet the squirrels would think they had found heaven.

When they are about 12 to 14 ft tall, they would make great puppy training stations.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
the only thing Wally world has right now is pansies. I wonder when they will get them in stock?
 

2 UP

Senior Member
The Realtree website says they'll ship in Feb. It also gives a list of all the Walmarts they will ship to. You've got me wanting to add some to my collection.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
My grandpappy use to tell me about all the chestnut trees in the mountains. He said there were so many that the woods would be covered with nuts in the fall. I read somewhere that at the turn of the 20th century, it was estimated that 60 percent of all trees in North America were chestnut trees. Blight killed them all out. My daddy said he remembered eating chestnuts as a kid, and he remembered the dead trees all over the mountains. I wish we could get back just a small percentage of those trees.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
I've done quite a bit of reading on this subject. I don't want the Chinese chestnuts. While they produce nuts, they are not near the tree the American chestnut was, and the nuts and foliage is different. The collosal is a western chestnut that, when planted in the east, tends not to fair to well with the blight. The American chestnut crosses they are producing only live for about 15 to 20 years if you are lucky before the blight kills them. Most reports are that 80 percent or so die with 4 years, sometimes as high as 70 percent the first year depending on how strong the blight is in that area.

Seems like only the Dunstan has any staying power in the American variety right now. So that is what I am looking for. Hopefully in a few years, they will develop an 98 percent American that will be resistant to the blight and we can start putting the chestnuts back in the natural habitat. Perhaps my children and grandchildren can have the pleasure of hunting in a chestnut grove and having roasted chestnut stuffing with their Thanksgiving turkey.

I wish I had more land to put them on, but right now that is not an option. If I had a bigger place, I would be setting out at least a couple of acres of chestnut trees to try and get them going in my area.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
Yeah, I found them online and bought some last year, but I think I will wait for WallyWorld to get them in. That way I won't have to pay shipping and I can pick out the ones I like the looks of at the store.

I have never eaten chestnuts. Does anyone here remember them in the mountains and remember eating them?
 

River Rambler

Senior Member
I know VT does some great work with Chestnuts. The Chestnut was, is, an incredible tree and it was a tragic loss on all fronts for this part of the country. It was the "super tree"...light, strong, insect resistant, massive, provided cover and food.

Wish I could have seen those magnificent forests of the 1800s.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
I have a copy of a picture somewhere here that show a railcar loaded with a chestnut log. There are 2 guys sitting on top of the log. It must be 15 ft high, and the trucks are the only steel parts. The length of the car is the log, chained to the trucks on each end.
 

aabradley82

Senior Member
there is supposed to be a stand of American chestnuts around Pine Mountain. One of the trips I want to make is to take my grandad down there. He still talks about the chestnuts in the mountains and hauling "acid wood."
 

The mtn man

Senior Member
I have a copy of a picture somewhere here that show a railcar loaded with a chestnut log. There are 2 guys sitting on top of the log. It must be 15 ft high, and the trucks are the only steel parts. The length of the car is the log, chained to the trucks on each end.

I can tell you where one is that produces a few chestnuts most years, it isn't very tall, cause it's on the very top of a mtn. If you go to brasstown bald, take the trail toward trackrock gap, just before you get to chimney rock, ther is one above the trail, go in late october and you will sometimes see some chestnuts in the trail, tree is hard to find otherwise, I found a stand in clay co. nc, only thing is when they get about 10-12" in diameter, they die, the root systems are still there in some cases, they just can't get started back.
 

The mtn man

Senior Member
I have a copy of a picture somewhere here that show a railcar loaded with a chestnut log. There are 2 guys sitting on top of the log. It must be 15 ft high, and the trucks are the only steel parts. The length of the car is the log, chained to the trucks on each end.

There is a log on display in my hometown of Hayesville nc, it was left by Ritter lumber co.it is off Ritter rd. in town, by desoto square apartments.right on the side of the rd.amzing, it's still not rotted.it's not 15ft through though.
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
I am just guessing about the 15ft from the height of the guys. They are squatting, so it makes it harder. It could be 12 ft, it could be 16 or 17... All I know for sure it is one big tree. My grandpappy told be they would log chestnut trees that 4 grown men, joined hand to hand could not reach around. This would have been right after he married my granny, some time in the early 20's, up in Lumpkin and White county.
 

The mtn man

Senior Member
I am just guessing about the 15ft from the height of the guys. They are squatting, so it makes it harder. It could be 12 ft, it could be 16 or 17... All I know for sure it is one big tree. My grandpappy told be they would log chestnut trees that 4 grown men, joined hand to hand could not reach around. This would have been right after he married my granny, some time in the early 20's, up in Lumpkin and White county.

My grandpa use to tell me about when chestnets started blooming, the mtns would almost look like they were snow covered, he also said, they free ranged their hogs and cattle in the mtns in the fall to fatten up on chestnuts.
 

gsu51

Senior Member
Im getting some chestnuts after reading this thread seams like the only tree to me to plant
 
Top