About J. Wayne Fears

Photos courtesy of The American Chestnut Foundation

Since my article on planting sawtooth oaks for deer food lots ran in the Winter 2011 issue of Whitetails Unlimited Magazine, I have received a lot of questions such as this: “I have read that the American chestnut tree was once the predominant tree in the eastern U.S. and that a squirrel could go from Maine to Georgia traveling in treetops of only chestnut trees. Also, I read that it provided the most favored mast eaten by deer, bear, wild turkey, squirrels, and other wildlife. Where can my hunting club learn more about the American chestnut and get seedlings?”

So let’s discuss chestnuts.

Chestnut History

According to The American Chestnut Foundation, the American chestnut was once one of the most important trees from Maine south to Georgia, and from the Piedmont west to the Ohio River Valley. Only a few decades ago, in the heart of its range, a count of trees would have turned up one chestnut for every four oaks, birches, maples and other hardwoods. In forests throughout their range, mature chestnuts averaged up to 5 feet in trunk

American chestnut was one of the leading hardwoods at the beginning of the 20th century. It was lightweight, easy to work, and rot-resistant. It was used for timber, furniture, railroad ties, telephone poles, shingles, fences, and more.

diameter and were up to 100 feet tall. The chestnuts were a major food source for deer, bear, wild turkey, squirrel, and many other forest creatures. It was also a food source for settlers and a source of income from timber and nuts. Then the chestnut blight struck.

However, in hidden coves and hollows, there remained a few residual populations of chestnut trees, sprouting from the stumps of trees taken down by the blight. The chestnut was beaten down, but not extinct. Finding these few remaining – seemingly blight resistant – trees gave hope that somehow the restoration of the species could be achieved.

One Research Effort

By the mid 1900s, scientists from several organizations began work trying to save the American chestnut. One such effort was done by plant breeder Dr. R. T. Dunstan. In the 1950s, Dr. Dunstan found a surviving American chestnut that was surrounded by dead trees in Ohio. He took cuttings from the blight resistant tree, and crossed them with Chinese chestnut. The blight was from China, so the Chinese trees were naturally resistant. He then crossed the seedlings from the first cross, back to both parent trees. These second generation trees are known as Dunstan Chestnuts. Now, 50 years later, it is reported that not a single Dunstan Chestnut has died of the blight. Hundreds of thousands of these trees have been planted all over the U.S. by commercial nut orchards, which has created a commercial chestnut industry in the United States. A major problem the orchard managers have had is that the deer were eating all of their harvest of nuts, to the point where entire farms had to be fenced. Realizing they had discovered an ideal plant for deer hunters to use in establishing food lots, Realtree Nursery was established and became the exclusive producer of Dunstan Chestnuts.

	Chestnuts offer deer a healthy source of food during the fall. Due to their flavor, they are a favorite wildlife food.

While I have not had first-hand experience with the Dunstan Chestnut, based on farms and hunting clubs I have visited that planted them, it seems to be an ideal tree to plant in small orchards for deer food lots. I plan on establishing a test chestnut food lot next spring and will report on that in the future.

Advantage of Dunstan Chestnuts

Dunstan Chestnuts bear nuts in only two to four years after being set out; no waiting 20 plus years for nuts to appear, as with many oaks.

• Dunstan Chestnuts bear 10 to 20 pounds of nuts per tree by the time they are 10 years old.
• They bear nuts every year.
• The nuts are high in carbohydrates – 40%, and protein – 10%.
• The meat is sweet to the taste.
• They bear nuts from September to November.

Range

According to Realtree Nursery, Dunstan Chestnuts can be grown throughout the eastern United States, in Zones 4 – 9, from Michigan and Illinois west to eastern Texas and south to central Florida.

Planting & Care

When planting food lots, plan your shooting lanes and stand locations, and plant your chestnut seedlings accordingly. Chestnuts grow in almost any well-drained nonalkaline soil, but do their best in full sun and gravelly soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.

They do best when planted in the spring as seedlings that are 18 to 36 inches tall or more. Several chestnut trees need to be planted near one another so that they can cross-pollinate to produce edible nuts. Discuss this when you place an order for seedlings. Trees should be planted 40 or more feet apart. Remember, these trees can grow to 60 or more feet tall and 40 feet in crown circumference, so space is needed.

As a chestnut bur opens, the typical three seeds can be seen inside.

It is extremely important that newly transplanted trees be watered regularly during the first few years of growth. During the first three or four years, chestnuts grow best when weeds and grass are kept away from the trunks. Also during their first few years of growth, the trunk should be protected with tree trunk guards or protectors. These are plastic tubes that act as mini-greenhouses that enhance the growth for young trees and give protection from the activities and feeding of deer, rabbits, and mice. They also help protect the tree from spray and drift from herbicide, and offer cold protection in late season frosts.

It is important to provide a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. Your local Cooperative Extension Service county agent can make recommendations along with a soil test. Do not fertilize at planting. Quick-release general fertilizer can burn the tender roots of young trees before they become established. Realtree Nursery recommends waiting at least a month after the trees have leafed out before fertilizing with a time-released fertilizer such as Scotts Osmocote.

	Chestnut Research Orchards at Meadowview Farm in Meadowview, Virginia, is where The American Chestnut Foundation conducts the bulk of its breeding research.

Once the trees are established, fertilize in early spring (February-March) as growth begins, and again in early June with the start of summer rains. In northern areas, do not fertilize in late summer, which could promote late season tender growth that can be damaged in early frosts.

A good rule of thumb is to use one pound of fertilizer per inch of trunk diameter, divided by the number of times per year you fertilize.

Costs

Dunstan Chestnut seedlings that are 18 to 36 inches tall may be shipped by UPS. They cost from $10.95 to $24.95, plus shipping, depending upon number ordered. Larger, more mature trees in 3- to 30-gallon containers may be purchased at a nursery.

For more information: Realtree Nursery – www.realtreenursery.com The American Chestnut Foundation – www.acf.org An Anthology of the American Chestnut To learn more about the most valuable wildlife food tree ever, go to The American Chestnut Foundation website and order a copy of the book Mighty Giants. This 285-page book is an anthology about the American chestnut. For anyone interested in trees for wildlife, this book should be read and placed in their library. The book ends with a dream of American chestnuts once again being the giants of our eastern forests. It’s interesting reading.