American Chestnut tree?

[Justfishin]

I was out doin some scoutin after I hunted this morning and found what I think is an american chestnut tree> I took some pic and even brought the burs home I look the leaves up and sure enough that what it is.There was one tree 10 inches across and couple others 1 to 3inches The big one is what is so strange what i can read the Blythe kills them after couple years anyone know any thing about them?I will try to post some pics tomorrow no service to send to the computer now

 

[SMA]

That's a very interesting find. Looking forward to pictures...

 

[Tenncrapie]

You should let someone know about this with the Tenn forestry div. There was another one found this spring near Chatt and they brought a team in to graft some limbs and use some of the flower/buds to polinate with a chinese chestnut to make a blythe resistant seedling.

 

[jimwarden]

Yes, it's not uncommon to find small Chestnut trees less than four feet. We find them in the Cherokee National Forest when scouting or turkey hunting. I guess they eventually die as you don't find larger trees.

 

[Carl Guffey]

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Good find. There have been a number of cross hybridizations planted over the last 10 years. But if it wasn't posted I suspect that it was a true american chestnut grove. Thanks for posting.</font>

 

[vhype]

There some up around Kingston on the Clinch river. The biggest that I've found was about 30 feet tall/25 inches around on very rocky cliff face. You can also find the nuts floating in the river all the time so there a lot of trees out there that spring up from the old roots. The blight gets them as they age and get bigger.

 

[Justfishin]

try adding pics

 

[Fishin Fool]

From what I understand, the American Chestnut is not really dead. The blight affects the bark of a tree as it matures. Once the tree begins to come up from the old roots and becomes mature enough to have bark that can be infested with the blight, the tree dies back to the root, but the root seldom dies. There is an active national project underway to cross these chestnuts with the Chinese Chestnut so they will resist the blight. Many trees have already been planted and are 90% genetic American Chestnuts. For the younger people here, you can't imagine what it was like to walk in a huge grove of stately old American Chestnut trees. I was lucky enough to do so before the blight killed the grove I knew about. The trees were massive and every kind of animal in the woods ate the chestnuts and called the grove home.

 

[SMA]

Wow!

That's an amazing find.

 

[Liveliner]

This thread is just Awesome..... A Great find to be very proud of.

 

[Justfishin]

yeah i thought it was something to being I have heard and read about them but never found one in the wild. these trees where 1.5 miles off any road

 

[heath j]

There are 2 large ones on Benton Pike just east of the golf course. Biggest ones and honestly only ones I know of.

 

[catjuggin]

I saw the stump of a huge tree that was felled in Rabun Co. Ga over fifty years ago. My old Mtn man friend has a picture of the stump with a horse and seven men sitting on the stump. It was over 6' in diameter. They once ruled the forests, but now they are a novelty. Save the nuts and try to germinate them in some leaf compost and see if you can grow a few.

 

[bullshot]

Lots of good info on the American Chestnut Foundation webpage:
http://www.acf.org/

 

[Rollcast]

I remember huge trees in central Ohio where I grew up. They were so large that they formed a canopy over the streets.

 

[elwestb]

Fifty years ago my Dad showed me some up off of 58 Hwy and he explained to me the story of the Chestnut blight. I don't know if they are still there or not but I know the vicinity. There were large trees and some small ones. We dug up several small ones and took them back down to Chickamauga Ga. were we lived at the time and planted them. I haven't' been back to check in decades but I would think they are still alive.

 

[Fuzzy]

Please check this out..
http://www.acf.org/find_a_tree.php

 

[fish4thepeck]

Guntersville still has some of the big stumps. There is one in Town creek thats claimed several props. Did you notice if the tree was growing up from an old stump or one close by?

 

[Justfishin]

no I looked for some big old stumps or fallen trees but didnt see any but their was some big white oaks there and big empty spaces

 

[churly]

I have found them on my property in Putnam County but the are small. I think the nuts bring some big bucks.