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Chestnut is decent wood. It is highly unlikely that its the species that was killed off by the blight if it is standing timber. There are pockets of chestnut in Georgia that remained untouched but they are protected forests. Are these standing trees or beams/logs from an old building?
It is standing lumber that my friend's family is taking down in West Virginia - only a few hours drive. I thought about borrowing a friend's F-650 and big trailer and loading it up. You interested in working on some?
I think your question has been answered ... personally, I think it would be great wood if it's in good condition.
American Chestnut is rare and quite desireable.
It is a good wood for flatwork or turning. A lot of the chestnut that turns up today is from old cabins and other buildings.
The last quantity I got was almost 20 years ago was cut by a man that died 54 years prior to my getting it. Since then I have managed to get a few pieces mostly from old fence posts.
I've found it to work well, finish well, look great, and it holds up for ages.
It is a good wood for flatwork or turning. A lot of the chestnut that turns up today is from old cabins and other buildings.
The last quantity I got was almost 20 years ago was cut by a man that died 54 years prior to my getting it. Since then I have managed to get a few pieces mostly from old fence posts.
I've found it to work well, finish well, look great, and it holds up for ages.
I am wondering if this is really chestnut if it is standing timber. I live in WV and have seen a lot of our timber and have never seen any chestnut living that is American Chestnut. As the blight wiped it all out. There was some stands of hybrids that got re-planted but it is not the same. I would be interested in seeing the timber if possible. What part of WV is this located? Steve
On my late grandparent's farm in North Wilkesboro there still stands several large chestnut trees. I know they are chestnut because I used to gather the chestnuts from them to take inside to the delight of my grandmother. That was many years ago but I know they were still standing last year.
I was told it is in the Princton area, but I have not seen them myself. He too gathers the chestnuts and roasts them on occasion.
If you can get the wood and have it milled it is worth a fortune to the right people. I know some folks around that would pay top dollar for wormy chestnut. It is a beautiful yet rustic looking wood when used for cabinetry. Steve
If these are indeed living American Chestnut trees, I wouldn't dare put a chain or axe to em. They should be studied to determine why the blight didn't kill them. Before the the mid 40's 1 of every 4 forest trees on the east cost were American Chestnut. The blight killed an estimated 3.5 billion American chestnut trees in the mid 40's. Please contact VA Techs American Chestnut Cooperators' Foundation, have these trees studied maybe just maybe they could find the "cure" and bring back the American Chestnut ---> http://www.ppws.vt.edu/griffin/accf.html
In my opinion some things are best left unmolested for the betterhood of mankind. Living American Chestnut falls into that category, there is a chance they could be studied and find a cure for fungus that killed them off in the 40's.
That's good information Jeff. It's not me bringing them down either way, but I think they are being cut down anyways for some commercial building. I would never cut a tree for lumber, but if they're being cut I try and save them to be used. I will look into this much more. Thanks for everyone's reply! Keep them coming please!
Another question - I have a little land on my property. Can I plant chestnut trees? Or will they just die off again?
Yes Sir - I understand completely - I also like trees standing on the stump.
Check out the American Chestnut Foundation - there was lots of good info there a couple years ago when I researched American Chestnut. Be sure and check the "find a tree" page.
---> http://www.acf.org/
Thanks
Could those trees in WV be chestnut oaks? Such a tragedy that the Americcan Chesnuts died off, they were the food staple here in the mountains for most of the wildlife. I still see American Chestnuts come up and grow to small saplings, then they get those black "sores" on them from the blight and eventually die. Biggest living one I've ever seen got maybe an inch or two in diameter before it died. As others have said, The American Chestnut Foundation is working toward finding a blight resistant strain. Here's the shortcut to their website for lots of reading and info: http://www.acf.org/index.php I've used a lot of chestnut over the years. Most of what I've used came out of old houses or barns, and you will have a lot of waste. Certain types of it is bad to split and splinter. I have gotten hold of some pre-blight non-wormy chestnut and it's very different and works a lot better. And nails, lots of them usually. A lot of the old houses used chesnut for the wallboards and they would nail newspapers to the walls for insulation, bazillions of little nails. I would never run chestnut through my planer, that's one of the reasons I got a surface sander. I like chestnut and hope they can eventually get a blight resistant strain growing again. :icon_thum
In NJ I owned a 1916 Dutch Colonial and the first floor had chestnut trim, I had to finish off a hallway with some to match the rest and my jaws dropped when I saw the prices. Eventually I bought old trim from an old office building in Paterson, NJ that they were knocking down, the trim was selling for $2 a linear foot (whether it was 5" wide orquarter round) and I felt like I hit the jackpot finding it.
If you like the looks of a cathedral oak pattern, you will like chestnut, it's like oak on steroids, the grain is beatiful. I would like to have some if I could get a decent deal on some, even if it was recycled.
If you like the looks of a cathedral oak pattern, you will like chestnut, it's like oak on steroids, the grain is beatiful. I would like to have some if I could get a decent deal on some, even if it was recycled.
Thanks for posting the link Jeff, a visit there was quite educational. :wsmile:
At work we had three "resistant" American chestnut hybrids planted following the events of 9/11.
All three were flourishing. Were. The city arborist said they all have to be cut and blamed the same blight for killing them.
There's still stock SOMEWHERE to be coming up with hybrids.
All three were flourishing. Were. The city arborist said they all have to be cut and blamed the same blight for killing them.
There's still stock SOMEWHERE to be coming up with hybrids.
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