Chestnuts

As the fall leaves start dropping from the trees, so do the chestnuts.

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) once comprised one-quarter of the east coast hardwoods and was valued for construction of barns and homes. Some of the beams in our old barn are chestnut. Starting in 1904 a blight fungus on some imported Asian chestnut trees nearly wiped out the American chestnut trees. The chestnut trees in our lawn are Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) and are immune to the blight.

Prior to the chestnut blight, the American chestnut was a major wildlife food source for deer, turkeys, bears and squirrels. The nut is contained in a spiny (very sharp) "burr". The freshly dropped green burrs can be handled with gloves, but once the burr dries out and hardens the burrs can penetrate leather gloves.

We were able to collect some of this year's chestnut crop which will be used to propagate new trees for the local wildlife. This container of chestnuts will be placed in a refrigerator until spring to stratify the chestnuts for planting. The stratification process will simulate winter to break dormancy so they can germinate. Next spring the nuts will start sprouting in the container and then will be planted.