115' American Chestnut in Maine woods

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Kabir424

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http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/12/17/459203467/in-the-maine-woods-a-towering-giant-could-help-save-chesnuts

The last thread about this had to be deleted. Apparently when Jomo embedded the link to the audio for this it locked the thread. I didn't even know we could do that and I am glad he attempted because that would have been nice. I guess we shouldn't try that again.

Anyways, I realize this is a repost but if anyone is still wanting to discuss it they can and if anyone in the future is searching the forums for American Chestnut info at least this will be here.
 
Oops!

Danged trouble maker!

You wouldn't believe how hard I've tried to solve this iPad embed code conundrum.

Apologies for lnadvertently lockin up your thread mate.

An xcellent thread it is too.

I envision mutated eucs with bulbous bases, capable of housing a family of five!

Jomo
 
FireFighterZero said:
I think it raises an interesting question about GMO's. Apparently they are working to modify these trees genetically to be more resistant to whatever is killing them. I think its a good use of science.
Click to expand...

Trying to improve them is what caused the initial problem. Science and it's wonders have never been the problem, it is man's total inability in using them responsibly that is.
 
Listening to the provided link tells the story, wiped out by an accidentally introduced Asian blight.

Jomo
 
I heard that work was being done, using asian stock, to try and improve the quality of the nuts. It is really hard to find facts to support this because there were some big names involved so I think that some of the history has been sanitized. Being fair though, the american chestnut was on borrowed time anyway, like so many other things that have been infested from introduced pests as the world borders get blurred.
 
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  • #8
DMc said:
I heard that work was being done, using asian stock, to try and improve the quality of the nuts. It is really hard to find facts to support this because there were some big names involved so I think that some of the history has been sanitized. Being fair though, the american chestnut was on borrowed time anyway, like so many other things that have been infested from introduced pests as the world borders get blurred.
Click to expand...

The American Chestnut Foundation is backcrossing the Chinese Chestnut into the American Chestnut. The nuts are great but for a lot of humans the important part is the lumber. It grows faster than oaks, is easy to work for furniture or other woodworking, is quite strong, and is very rot resistant. It would be a wonderful timber to have available again and since it comprised as much as 30% of the forest it was a big loss when the blight functionally wiped them out.

The American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation is working on finding and selecting naturally resistant American Chestnuts. They aren't interested in crossing at all with the Chinese Chestnut for blight resistance.
 
My comments above were about the initial infection around 1904 not today's current work. There is a lot of current work being done with asian x american hybrids and gene splicing using the fungal resistance in oats and probably anything else that might work. Nothing says monoculture better than plants coming out of labs with numbers for names.
Man's long term success rate with anything that goes against the laws of the earth, sucks.
 
They used to be, before going almost extinct. I believe they were more widespread and popular than oak.
 
MasterBlaster said:
That's pretty cool. Is a Chestnut used for milling?
Click to expand...

Not anymore. At one time it was the best lumber around. Super rot resistant, made amazing siding, fence posts, foundation sills, framing material, furniture....

Cory, the chestnut made up fully 1/4 of all trees through the Appalachian range, more common than oak as you say
 
Good for floorboards too. Super wide chestnut floorboards can be found in various very old homes in my area.
 
A good friend of mine makes his living by reclaiming the boards from teardowns of old factories and such and reselling them. I bet he runs into a lot of chestnut.
 
The building I work in goes back the the mid 1800s and is built with chestnut columns and trusses. Some beams are 50ft long.t
 

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Thanx guys. Been getting into rec climbing and found this site from August's interview video with Gerry Beranek. Great to watch the master!
 
Great wood and craftsmanship there.

Welcome Steve! Pull up a chair and join right in. We're an informal bunch:thumbup:
 
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