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“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your
NOSE…”.
It
seems that Southern Appalachian roots are tied to Chestnut roots. I
wish we could have seen the magnificent tree in its glory when it
occupied 25% of the hardwood forests. Many readers responded to the
first article. Here are some of the questions and answers.
There
are mature Chestnut trees near Wayah Bald, NC—about ˝ way up the path
from the parking lot on the left and some more where the Appalachian
Trail meets the Bartram trail. The picture in this article is of a
tree that Harold Dyer found near Jack’s Gap in GA. It is 48 feet
tall. The Forest Service identified it as a hybrid tree so
unfortunately it is not a pure breed American Chestnut, but
fortunately for the tree it might not succumb to the fungus.
One
reader told me about his turn-of-the-century lodge in Andrews, NC
which is constructed with chestnut wood. He has about a dozen hybrid
chestnut trees that are starting to bear fruit and invites other
interested readers to come and see them. The trees are Dunstan
hybrids and you can read more about this hybrid at
http://www.chestnuthilltreefarm.com/page7.html. The
lodge is Glen Choga and is on Little Choga road off Junaluska Rd.
Many
of the answers list a website for more information. If you do not
have a computer or internet access, there is a great way for you to
get the information—our libraries in the area have free access to the
internet. I encourage you to go and see how easy it is! For those
that do have internet access and would like an electronic copy of the
answers (so you do not have to type in all the websites), send an
email to
billjokitt@dnet.net
and I will send you an electronic copy. 
Thanks
go to Doug Gillis of the Carolina American Chestnut Foundation (ACF)
for providing the informed answers to the questions.
I
have a Chestnut tree in my yard. How can I care for it so it will
grow and not succumb to the fungus? Is there anything I can do to
help it fight the fungus?
First,
the tree should be identified. Is it a pure American chestnut, a
Chinese, or some other variety? Self identification can be done
using information from the site
http://www.acf.org/find_a_tree.htm. Leaf identification is
one of the best ways but obviously would have to wait until spring.
This site also has instructions on how to send samples for
identification to the national organization.
The
Carolinas Chapter of the TACF provides a form for sending in samples
to be tested, particularly for flowering trees. Go to
http://www.carolinas-tacf.org/join.html#report for
instructions. The sending in of samples for identification (with
leaves pressed between paper) would be reserved for what appear to be
pure American chestnut trees that are of some size and flowering.
If the
tree is American or European, it will be susceptible to the chestnut
bark fungus. Since the fungus does not live in the soil, "mud
packing" is a technique that can be used to treat the fungus. You can
read about “mud packing” at
http://masschestnut.org/mudpackingCankers.php .
How can I buy Chestnut trees?
American chestnut seeds and seedlings can be purchased through the
American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). Instructions for planting are
provided. The seeds and seedlings are 100% American chestnut and
there is no guarantee that they will not succumb to the chestnut bark
fungus. Go to
http://www.acf.org/seeds_seedlings.htm for information on
ordering from the TACF. In NC, deadline dates for spring delivery is
March 1 and for GA, deadline dates in Oct. 1 for winter delivery.
Hybrid
nuts and seedlings being produced by The American Chestnut Foundation
and its growers are not available to the public at this time. They
should be available to the public within 5 to 15 years after more
development work is done on various lines.
http://www.chestnuthilltreefarm.com/page7.html
tells about Dunstan hybrid trees and how to buy them. For other
suppliers go to
http://www.utc.edu/Faculty/Hill-Craddock/sources.html#trees
to see a list provided by Hill Craddock of the University of
Tennessee, Chattanooga.
How high does a tree need to grow to have nuts?
There
is no firm rule about size or age of tree before it produces nuts.
Five to seven years is likely a minimum age and 12 to 15 feet in
height, a typical minimum size. Growing conditions are important to
the success of individual trees.
An
article about growing chestnut trees can be found at
http://www.caes.state.ct.us/FactSheetFiles/PlantPathology/fspp064f.htm.
Is
there any email list that will give updates to the progress on the
chestnut trees?
There
is not an email list for progress reports. The best way to stay
posted is to join the TACF and one of its Chapters. See
http://www.acf.org/join.htm to join the TACF (which
includes membership in GA or NC/SC chapters).
What is the best way to record where you see a
chestnut tree on a hiking trail?
The
best way to record the location is to use a GPS unit to record
coordinates at the tree. Other ways are to mark the location on a
trail map and write a description of how to find the tree later.
Photographs of the location and of the tree also are helpful.
The
owner of Glen Choga lodge
quoted his father
saying “Our mountains are beautiful but you should have seen them
when the Chestnuts were in the forest”. He said he hopes he does not
have to tell his children “Our mountains are beautiful but you should
have seen them when the Hemlocks were in the forest”.
Our
plant rescue team is working to preserve our native plants.
If you are
interested in the Plant Rescue Team, contact Jennifer Cordier
(706-745-9317)
ivylog@alltel.net
or you can contact me, Johanne Kittle (828-389-0814)
billjokitt@dnet.net.
The Plant Rescue Team is under the auspices of the GA Mountain
Research and Education Center. Our motto is “An earth friendly
approach to land usage without restricting property owner rights”. |
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