American Chestnut

[RicodJour]

Haven't read the book yet, but I intend to.

[Han]

RicodJour wrote in news:d93cf242-bdfc-4457-9120- [e-mail]:

Just a comment. A beautiful place about 1 1/2 hour North of NYC still has chestnuts growing and proliferating. Unfortunately, they are susceptible to the fungus and die before getting more than about 3 inches in diameter. One hopes that somehow nature and Darwin will yield a truly resistant variant of the species.

[RicodJour]

Where exactly might that be? I live on LI and frequently find myself up in that neck of the woods.

R

[dpb]

Han wrote: ...

As a promising note, there is at least one in VA that VPI (Va Tech, Blacksburg) researchers have been following for over 30 years now. The precise location is a well-guarded secret in order to protect it (how sad a commentary, unfortunately) but it has (at least last I knew which is getting to be a fair number of years now) so far withstood the ravages.

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[Han]

RicodJour wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I don't know wether it is a real secret, but it is not really talked about much. Up on the ridge by New Paltz is probably vague enough.

[RicodJour]

- [e-mail]:

Thanks. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if I find it. ;)

R

[Jon]

There is a small grove of American Chestnut trees still growing out by Jim Thorpe, PA. Location is too hard to get to as it is up a small rocky area to where they are located. My great aunt's property borders the area.

Jon

[Charlie Self]

There are several areas along the Blue Ridge Parkway where you can find American chestnut whips and slender trees, coming up from old root bases. They seldom get more than 2" in diameter, never more than

3". Chestnut rails still dominate the rail fencing along the Parkway; I understand, but don't know, that they have enough stored to make replacements for another 50 or 75 years. Might be true. Might be non- urban legend.

[Virgle]

Seventy years ago my home was in the South Western part of Virginia. The were plenty of dead chesnut trees standing. Most of the trees were tall and slender without any bark. We cut them for firewood. Most were 40 to 50 feet tall. Once we started them sliding down the mountain they would go like a rocket all the way to the bottom of the mountain. You could split them with an ax from end to end.

Virgle