You’ve inspired me Eric. I’ve noticed some Chestnuts on the ground in downtown Hartford near the big arch. I’ll have to take some pics.
Heads up Eric. IIRC you don’t do FB but there’s some fresh cut American Chestnut logs for sale on marketplace. That’s what they’re listed as anyway Just posted
More good news at the farm. My brother found another chestnut near the recent discovery, meaning cross pollination is going on. Granddad’s planting paid of. The best time to plant was twenty years ago. The second best time is today.
Bushnell Park? Those are horse chestnuts, but pretty trees regardless The nuts are supposedly inedible (poisonous) I’ll have to check it out the next time I’m in the city.
Last week a friend contacted me, she has an American chestnut in the yard of a rental house she owns in south central UP. I thought maybe she didn't know what she was talking about until she told me it was the focus of a study by NMU (which I have yet to confirm) and she used it as the basis for a biology paper she did about 10 years ago. Apparently this is the oldest AC in the UP, planted somewhere between 1890 and 1930. I did find some info on AC trees that MI Tech has planted both on the campus and at their forestry school south of Houghton. https://www.keweenawuu.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Chestnut-brochure-final-castanea_flyer-1.pdf This particular tree is 10' 6" in circumference (40" dbh) and appears pretty healthy. The gal told me she totes away 12-15 contractor sized garbage bags a year of nut husks. Too bad the squirrels manage to make off with most of the nuts but she did give me a few to stratify and get growing.
Thanks for sharing! Very impressive tree. I know there are many isolated trees planted years ago outside the native range, that so far have escaped the blight. Also in Michigan in particular, I’ve read that there is a naturally occurring virus in the environment there that weakens the blight fungus, allowing many trees to recover.
That's interesting, about the virus. I'll ask Holly when I see her later this week. That tree has lived through the worst a winter could throw at it yet it still lives. It's a tough ol' bugger. After experiencing the spines on the nut clusters, it's beyond me why someone would plant them in the yard.
