Carolina Water Ash

[MikeF]

We went to the Museum of Natural History today. (Still trying to get to know the area), and of course, I had to stop by the area that displayed native NC trees.

I will post the others in my gallery, but there was one that stood out to me. The Carolina Water Ash. It has beautiful growth rings and like nothing I had seen before. (The picture does not do it justice.)

They also had a nice example of American Chestnut, which I understand is pretty hard to come by.

 

[McRabbet]

Gorgeous wood, even plain sawn!

Rob

 

[jeff...]

I'd saw that up in a heatbeat

 

[MikeF]

The Curator may not be too happy. :lol:

 

[sawman]

That would make a beautiful set of book matched doors, from the size of the display, it would make quite a few. As to American chestnut, let me know if you can find any, most of what is remaining are the stumps underground. They (Forestry Service) are cross beeding a Chinese chestnut with the American species to get them to grow again. The Chinese species is not affected by the blight that killed the American chestnut trees, the tree itself will be smaller. I hope it will work because it is beautiful wood. You can buy European chestnut but it is expensive. I like using butternut, which has a nice tone to the wood, not chestnut, but close to it.

Later,
Albert, Al or whatever

 

[walnutjerry]

That would make a beautiful set of book matched doors, from the size of the display, it would make quite a few. As to American chestnut, let me know if you can find any, most of what is remaining are the stumps underground. They (Forestry Service) are cross beeding a Chinese chestnut with the American species to get them to grow again. The Chinese species is not affected by the blight that killed the American chestnut trees, the tree itself will be smaller. I hope it will work because it is beautiful wood. You can buy European chestnut but it is expensive. I like using butternut, which has a nice tone to the wood, not chestnut, but close to it.

Later,
Albert, Al or whatever

Al------I use butternut frequently for chair seats and the 8/4 butternut is getting harder to find. I understand there is a blight in butternut doing the same thing that happened to the American Chestnut.

If you find a good buy in butternut and want it you better get it. The last 8/4 I bought (about a year ago) was 9.50 a bd ft for 10" and wider. Under 10" was about 8.00 a bd ft. On top of that I had to pay for shipping from Vermont.8-O

Jerry

 

[NCPete]

On top of that I had to pay for shipping from Vermont.8-O

Jerry

You could drive there to get it and enjoy the scenery:lol:

 

[jeff...]

Butternut is hard to come by in any size they, are short-lived and medium to small in stature to begin with. An old tree may only be 75 years old. Rarely do they reach over 60 feet high, and most are under two feet in diameter. They love sunlight and usually die if shaded by faster-growing trees. They also live pretty much in isolation, it's rare to find a "grove" of butternut.

Seems butternut canker tragedy has come to the butternut. "It is more threatened than even the American chestnut," said Mike Ostry, a U.S. Forest Service research plant pathologist. "In fact, it may be the first tree I'm aware of that's being considered for addition to the Endangered Species List."

This is why your paying big bucks for butternut.

Later

 

[Gofor]

I read an article last year that stated they had found a stand of old growth American Chestnut somewhere in the Carolinas (I think it SC down around Santee, but not sure). They figure that the trees somehow had a natural immumity to the blight, and are going to try and propagate them. Downside is that by the time the new growth gets to any size, I will have long since been dust blowin' in the breeze.:-D

Go

 

[NCPete]

but we can teach our children about wood like that, and make sure that they appreciate it...

 

[jeff...]

I read an article last year that stated they had found a stand of old growth American Chestnut somewhere in the Carolinas (I think it SC down around Santee, but not sure). They figure that the trees somehow had a natural immumity to the blight, and are going to try and propagate them. Downside is that by the time the new growth gets to any size, I will have long since been dust blowin' in the breeze.:-D

Go

There used to be numerous chestnut, butternut and elm in NC - I sure hope they make a come back.

"This spring, a scientist found a cluster of chestnut trees near Pine Mountain in Georgia. These trees may provide a genetic key to grow a resistant variety. Scientists from many institutions are working to find the key to breeding a resistant variety." ---> Newspaper online, Chronicle Newspapers, The Chronicle, The Fairfax Chronicle, The South County Chronicle, Virginia, Lorton, Mason Neck, Fairfax Station, South Springfield, Clifton, Newington

 

[Gofor]

Okay, you proved my CRS is getting worse. Yep, maybe it was GA, but I sure 'membered Carolina! Guess my old gray cells got it confused with the long leaf pine (both getting fewer by the day). Anyway, there's hope for the grand kids.
:-D:-D
Go