the placing of seeds close together in layers in moist sand or peat to preserve them or to help them germinate. "following cold stratification, seeds were germinated in greenhouses"
Good progress on the spoon today. I’ll have to buy a wood carving knife set to scoop out the bowl part of the spoon, before I can finish it. I ran it under water before taking the pictures just to show the grain better. I love the way Chestnut carves. It reminds me of Ash and even the smell is somewhat reminiscent.
Nice job Eric. Coming along well. Can you carve one out off a dead BL for me? Ms. buZZsaw wants it to me.
Second Chestnut at the tree farm. Pretty gnarled over the years. Likely one of the first trees grandad planted here. Forester and I were chatting about trees to remove around the house and shop, and it caught his eye. That makes two on the farm
buZZsaw BRAD yeah it’s pretty good size. The other, which I posted earlier on this thread is a nicer looking specimen. that is me. Every time I see my photo I start my dieting anew.
This was definitely a rewarding experience, and I’m thrilled how successful this ended up being for the Connecticut chapter and the foundation as a whole.
Thanks! I was blown away by the amount we ended up getting. Not bad considering all I had to do (besides help with the harvest) was to keep my eyes open.
Thats great Eric. Something to be very proud of. If you run for president of the chapter youll get my vote.
I ran through this thread last week and it really peaked my interest. Last year I found a species of tree on my property that I hadn't heard of. Striped Maple which is also known as Goosefoot for its large leaves shaped as such. It's not as rare as Chestnut as there is no blight but is in the category of "bears watching" here in MA. Since then I've become an expert Goosefoot locator much to the annoyance of my family...LOL. Anyways, the Chestnut story felt familiar so my eyes got to work. Sure enough, aren't there quite a few on my road and property. All small of course. The interesting part is not all of them are stump sprouts. So, that bears the question, where are the seeds coming from as only trees of some size produce them and the first few years crop are infertile. I've been hunting for a tree of size but haven't come across it yet...
It's my understanding that they're considered functionally extinct because they aren't reproducing on their own in large enough quantities. I don't doubt that in certain isolated small areas, the Chestnuts are setting seed and reproducing in very small numbers. In my own experience, I've found plenty of fertile burs in the wild, the biggest problem being the squirrels and other wildlife get to them before they can be stratified over the winter and sprout in the springtime. It's not like oak trees where there are more acorns than squirrels and chipmunks and therefore "leftover nuts". Most of the trees I've found have been small too, and usually don't get past the 20-30 foot mark before a small crack in the bark allows the blight in, girdling the tree within a year or two. The largest Chestnut I've found was over 60 feet tall, 14" DBH that sprang back to life in an oak forest that was killed by gypsy moths. Those are the places where you're most likely to find trees of considerable size: recent clear cuts, along power lines, clearings from storm or insect damage, and roadsides where the tree line has been cut back. Chestnuts need a good amount of sunlight to flower, and need other flowering Chestnuts nearby to produce fertile nuts. All the stump sprouts growing in the understory usually won't live long enough to reach the canopy to flower, and chances there's another one nearby to pollinate it are slim.
System I don't know where in western Massachusetts you're located, but I do know there are quite a few documented ones on the TreeSnap app I use. If you find ones of considerable size (or that are flowering in mid June-early July) you could help further the restoration efforts. TreeSnap
