Chestnut Photos (Fall 2002-Winter 2003)
by
Joe Schibig unless otherwise indicated
An old cankered chestnut clinging to life in Williamson Co., Tennessee (photos taken Feb. 2, 2003)
A group of chestnut enthusiasts gather around a relatively large chestnut (11 in dbh, 50 ft tall) after they cleaned up the vines and dead sprouts around the tree. Yes, this tree is still alive despite all that necrotic bark. Charles (far left), reported the chestnut to Lou (next to Charles) who reported it to me (Joe). Despite the fact that this tree looks as if it is near death, it has one good live limb on it that produced about 50 burs last year, so TACF may want to pollinate this accessible tree this year. There are a few live sprouts from the base that should keep the tree alive for some time in the future and we did get scions from this tree for nut grafting. Charles says that this was a good-size tree 30 years ago, so we estimate it to be at least 50 years old. It may have some resistance and/or the blight fungus may be hypovirulent. Clint is going to send bark samples to a plant pathologist in West Virginia to see if the attacking fungus is hypovirulent (a fungus which is infected by a virus which weakens the fungus and helps the tree survive).
This tree is growing in cherty, slightly acid soil on a ridge in the western Highland Rim region of Williamson County. It is surrounded by tulip poplar, black oak, shagbark hickory, dogwood, and blackgum trees. Charle's mother recalls another large chestnut on the property, but does not know if it is still alive or not. Thus far, the tree pictured here is the only one we know of in Williamson County.
The top of the tree is dead, but note the one good live limb on the left; this tree was blanketed with vines, but they were removed.
Chestnuts on the hills along the Duck River in Humphreys County, Tn. (photos taken on Feb. 1, 2003)
The chestnut on the left (about 5 in dbh, 35 ft tall) is mostly dead, but has some live basal sprouts. It grows on a north-facing slope in woods dominated by tulip poplar; we seldom find chestnuts on such mesic sites--they are more commonly found on dry ridges and upper south to west-facing slopes. The photo on the right is of a sapling (4 in dbh, 30 ft tall) which grows on a west-facing slope covered with mountain laurel; it has a cankered base but produced a few burs last fall.
An old chestnut trunk still leaning against another tree (left photo). The right photo shows mountain laurel in the foreground with chestnut oaks and red maples in the background; this photo only begins to capture the beauty of the picturesque hills in Humphrey's County.
New state record? (photos by Joe Schibig, Jan. 30, 2003)
In the photo above from left to right, Roger, Kelly (property owner), Mark, and Clint stand next to the largest American chestnut survivor in Tennessee we have seen thus far. This old cankered tree, in Jackson County, Tennessee, has a dead top, but at least 50 per cent of the tree appears to be alive. It may be an old sprout close to 60 years old. At its base is a small remnant of a cut stump indicating that the former tree perhaps was cut about 1940 when the blight was killing practically all the standing chestnuts in this region. It may be a state record with a diameter of 23.1 in dbh and a height of 55 ft. Certainly it has a greater diameter and more board feet in it than any Tennessee chestnut I've seen. In the July, 1975 edition of the Tennessee Conservationist magazine, there was an article by Eyvind Thor titled "Hope for the American Chestnut". In that article, Dr. Thor, a former forestry professor and chestnut breeder at U. T./Knoxville, reported that the largest known American chestnut survivor in Tennessee was located near the little town of Sweetwater in the southeastern part of the state; it had a dbh of 63 inches but most of its trunk and limbs were dead. I suspect that this tree has died by now, but don't know for sure. If anyone knows about the condition of the Sweetwater tree or if there is a larger surviving tree than the one pictured above in Tennessee, please e-mail me.
This tree was holding its own against competing chestnut oak, red maple, beech, and sassafras trees. Mountain laurel, rare for middle Tennessee, was a conspicuous shrub in the area; laurel along with the tree species just mentioned are often associated with American chestnuts. Another relatively large cankered chestnut, 9 in dbh, was close to the big tree. Burs were observed under both trees, so we think both produced viable nuts last fall as cross pollination likely occurred.
These chestnuts were on a steep upper west-facing slope, elevation about 950 feet. As is the case for nearly all the 200 + chestnuts we have found thus far, these trees were growing on soils derived from the Fort Payne Formation. Such soils tend to be gravelly, cherty, somewhat acidic, and well-drained. Most of the chestnuts we have found have been on high ground with good drainage. We think such sites may be relatively free of Phytophthora spp. (the ink disease or root rot fungus which is death to chestnuts). We rarely find chestnuts in low ravine situations where the moist soils may be more hospitable to Phytophthora spp.
In the photo above, Clint is making his way through a laurel thicket in hot pursuit of another chestnut. Note the remains of dead chestnut trees that fell and pulled their roots from the ground; sprouts rarely form from trees that are uprooted, while chestnut trees cut close to the base often sprout profusely from the undamaged root collar.
The photos below show Jack preparing to snip scionwood
from a tall American chestnut in Monroe Co., Kentucky. Note how the tall
chestnut (below, right) is snaking its way toward the sky. It doesn't have
the straightest form, but it is at least 60 feet tall and has a dbh of 14.4
in.--not bad for an American chestnut. It is as if it is shouting to its
fungal enemies, "Hah hah Cryphonectria and Phytophthora, you can't keep a
good chestnut down!"
(Photos by Joe Schibig, Jan. 30, 2002)
A heavenly chestnut--photo taken in late January, 2003; located somewhere in northern middle Tennessee (its location will be kept secret--so please don't ask where this tree is).
This beauty of a chestnut (tallest I have observed in Tennessee) towers over 70 feet toward the heavens and has a diameter at chest height over 16 inches. Who said the American chestnut has been reduced to a shrub? Of course this is an exception to the rule--most chestnuts we encounter are shrubs dwarfed by the relentless blight.
Chestnut photos taken on January 5, 2003 (by Joe Schibig)
The second largest American Chestnut in diameter (dbh 21.3 in, ht. 45 ft) we have observed in Tennessee resides on an upper southeast-facing slope at an elevation of 1000 ft. in southern Marshall County, Tennessee. This tree is in poor health as it has been attacked by gall wasps and the blight; also cattle have access to these woods and have compacted the soil. The many basal sprouts (most of these are blighted) indicate that the the tree is stressed. There was no evidence of fruit production this past season. Jack Torkelson and Clint Neel (the arboreal one) are obtaining scion wood from a small branch of the tree. The property owner granted us permission to obtain scions from this tree--it is an old warrior of a chestnut and deserves to have its DNA perpetuated.
Clint takes time out to talk on the phone while observing the beautiful hill country in southern middle Tennessee from his lofty perch on a tree adjacent to the big chestnut; by the way, he says he has good life insurance (just kidding). The big chestnut is in woods adjacent to a large field and is growing on gravelly soil with a pH of 6.5. It is surrounded by hickories, American beech, sassafras, basswood and dogwood; chestnut oak, a common associate of the American chestnut, was not in the immediate vicinity of this chestnut but was a dominant species at slightly higher elevation on the ridge crest. We checked the surrounding area and found no other chestnuts.
The two pictures above are of a tough surviving chestnut on a high ridge (1000 + ft. in elevation) close to Petersburg, Tenn. (southern middle Tennessee). It is one of two American chestnut trees in Tennessee that was pollinated by TACF this past summer. Despite strong attacks by the blight and gall wasps, it produced quite a few nuts this fall; however, the road crew added insult to injury by further damaging this tree. This serves to remind us that the American chestnut has many foes including us. Ironically and appropriately, the only savior for the American chestnut species may be Homo sapiens. TACF and the ACCF are working hard in that direction.
Jack and Clint are cutting the mauled stems off at the base; hopefully, new basal sprouts will spring forth. We also will make nut grafts of this tree.
Photos taken on Jan. 2, 2003 (by Joe Schibig)
Zac is standing in front of a barn made of chestnut logs and boards. This barn is located close to Red Boiling Springs (Clay County), Tennessee.
This is the backside of the tobacco barn. Cankers on several of the logs indicate the barn was built after the blight swept through Tennessee in the 1930s and early 1940s. The durable dead chestnut trees stood in the forest for several years and were used for construction, posts, tannins, fuel, etc. for quite some time after the blight snuffed the life out of them.
We examined the cross sections of some of the logs (trees) and found that most grew slowly (had closely spaced annual rings). The log (tree) pictured here grew slowly perhaps because of strong competition from surrounding trees and/or poor site conditions. Our research and other studies show that American chestnuts grow rapidly on mesic sites if competition from surrounding trees is not intense, while chestnuts on very dry sites, such as on upper-south facing slopes, tend to grow slowly.
Mark is examining an old chestnut log which still has intact bark on it.
Chestnut photos taken on Dec. 8, 2002
Clay Co. Chestnut (10.5 in. dbh, 50 ft. tall) on Ray Clements's property. Note the old chestnut post and closeup of the chestnut on the right. This chestnut has nice straight form and appears to be completely free of blight; Clint Neel bravely climbed a nearby tree to gather chestnut scions for nut grafting. Mr. Clements will release this chestnut by cutting the nearby beech tree sometime this winter. This chestnut is a prospective TACF mother tree. The white stuff on the ground is heaven's dandruff. Photos by Joe Schibig
From left to right are Clint Neel, Ray Clements, Jeff Clements and children, Jack Torkelson, Ray's brother (kneeling), Brian , and Tim McLehrran . Clint Neel is an active TACF member and researcher; Ray Clements is the property owner; Jeff is Ray Clement's son; Jack Torkelson is a VSCC chestnut researcher; Brian is Ray Clement's neighbor who discovered the 10.5 inch tree pictured above; Tim is Ray's son-in-law who reported the tree to Joe Schibig. The cankered chestnut (about 100 feet from the larger tree) is about 6 in. dbh and 35ft. tall. Photo by Joe Schibig
More photos taken on Dec. 8, 2002 (by Joe Schibig)
Joe Schibig (left) and Clint Neel (right) next to the tallest known American Chestnut in Kentucky--60 feet tall, 14.4 inches dbh. It is located in the southwestern corner of Monroe Co., Kentucky not far from the little town of Flippin. The owner, Mr. Grinestaff, has given us permission to obtain scions for nut grafting. We will need to use a 30 foot ladder and a long pruning pole. Photo by Jack Torkelson
Clint getting a soil sample close to the big Monroe Co. chestnut. At first glance, the soil here appears to be atypical for most chestnuts we have found. The topsoil here has a fine texture; most of the chestnuts we find are growing on gravelly and/or sandy soils. Clint is going to determine the pH of this soil, but I am guessing that it will be less acidic than most soils we find chestnuts on, because their is an absence of Vaccinium spp. (indicators of acid soil) and there are a few Quercus muehlenbergii close by (an indicator of higher pH soils). photo by Joe Schibig.
Clint's photos (Dec. 8, 2002)
Nice 50 ft. tall chestnut, 11.7 in. dbh (Flippin, Monroe Co., Ky.); 60 ft. tall, 14.4 in. dbh tree located about 100 feet from tree on the left. Photos by Clint Neel
In the little town of Flippin, Ky., there is this sign that says a huge tulip poplar was cut close to this site in 1893. It was 11 feet in diameter and was so big, that two 6 ft. saws were welded together to cut it. A 4- foot log was taken to Chicago and exhibited in the Columbian World's Fair (1893-1894) where it won a first prize. The wood from this tree was used in the building of a local Baptist church (burned later in a fire) and a Methodist church. I wonder how many whopper chestnuts were growing around Flippin, Ky. in 1893. Photos by Clint Neel.
Group gathered around the 10.5 in dbh, 50-ft American
Chestnut in Clay Co., a few miles east of Red Boiling Springs, Tn.
Photo by Tim McLehrran
Photos taken in Davidson County, Tn. on Dec. 22, 2002 by Joe Schibig
In
the photo on the right, Clint is using a 30-foot pruning pole to snip a branch
from a tall, blight-free American Chestnut (dbh 7 in, ht. 50 ft) growing on a
steep south-facing slope in the Forest Hills community (just south of Nashville,
Tn.). We are obtaining scionwood from the largest and healthiest chestnuts in
the region for nut grafting. We feel that it is important to conserve
germplasm from superior American chestnuts throughout the eastern U. S. so as to
preserve a diverse gene pool. The dominant tree species on this site are
chestnut oak, black oak, sourwood, blackgum, and sassafras; mountain
laurel (rare in middle Tennessee) and wild blueberry bushes are abundant on this
site. On this acidic, nutrient-poor, cherty, and droughty soil, only the
American chestnut and a few other tree species can grow well--soil mycorrhizae
probably facilitate the uptake of moisture and nutrients by these trees. Tree
density on such sites is typically low producing an open canopy, thus sunlight
is more than sufficient for the chestnut sprouts. Seven chestnut specimens have
been found on this site. Most were small but this healthy seven-inch tree
and a slightly smaller one are remarkable for their good growth form, height,
and freedom from blight; To determine if these trees have some blight
resistance, the clones of these trees could be tested in a few years.
In the left photo, behind the chestnut tree, are Jeremy, Jack, Mike (property owner), Clint, and Ed. In the photo on the right, Ed is cutting twigs suitable for nut grafting from the small branch just clipped from the tree.
Photos from Trigg County, Ky., Dec. 22, 2002 by Joe Schibig
An 11. 5 inch (dbh) American chestnut on a steep west-facing slope (Ky. Lake in the background) at Land Between the Lakes, Trigg Co., Ky. This blight-free tree dropped many non-fertile burs in the fall. It is surrounded by chestnut oak, sourwood, species of Vaccinium, and two hominids (Jack and Clint).
Clint and Jack examine a chestnut "graveyard"; these are 60 to 70 year old chestnut remains--chestnut wood is durable, especially on dry wind-swept slopes and ridges. Fortunately, some chestnut sprouts are still alive and well on this site. Of all the chestnut sites on the Highland Rim of Kentucky and Tennessee which we have studied, Land Between the Lakes appears to be the greatest repository of surviving American chestnuts.
Hope for the future (photo taken in Sumner Co., Tn., Oct., 2002 by Joe Schibig)
Young Will standing by a young American Chestnut. Due to the efforts of The American Chestnut Foundation and the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation, our children and future generations will see large healthy American chestnut trees flourishing again in forests throughout the eastern U. S.