The american chestnut was once a dominant species in North American forests. As a tree with excellent timber and calorie dense nut crop it is extremely valuable. Unfortunately it has been mostly wiped out by a persistent blight. Great efforts are being made to find a tree with blight resistant genetics so the american chestnut can once again thrive.

The seedling chestnuts planted last winter are all alive and growing. Now to see if they can handle the summer heat and avoid getting chewed on by any critters.

I took advantage of some warm December weather to plant all the seedling chestnuts I sprouted a few years prior from Akiva Silver at Twisted Tree Farm. I put cages around them to prevent deer browse.

https://imgur.com/a/hA3KtjF

I chose to plant them near where I found a mature wild american chestnut growing on the property (very rare) which has sandy soil. I used swales as a guiding pattern for planting which will also help to passively harvest water and nutrients from our sheep as the graze amongst them.

I only have been able to find a couple handfuls of nuts from the american chestnut tree because I think it's lacking pollination due to so few chestnut trees nearby. Closest ones I know of are a couple miles away.

Hopefully these seedling chestnuts will eventually help pollinate the mature american and I can harvest more nuts to grow more trees with the american chestnut genetics. Long live the american chestnut!

#permaculture #permies #homesteading #grownostr #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #silvopasture #chestnut #americanchestnut

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Great work and good luck!

Great project 🫂

How many?

8 but I have one more in a pot too that I want to plant in a different area as an experiment. Haven't decided where yet.

If you plant Black Locust next to them they will act as nurse trees providing nitrogen in abundance and quick shade to help them survive.

If you do that, plant them on the western side of them.

Cool! The 2 rows of chestnut are planted east/west with ~25ft spacing and ~40ft between rows. I've got some black locust in pots. I've got black alder seedlings sprouting soon hopefully maybe those would work similarly. How close do you think I should plant the locust? Should I just put one halfway in between each chestnut?

Yeah. Halfway in between with the last one on the western end.

## Wild American Chestnut Seedling

After 8 years of observation around the homestead an unusual plant often stands out. I noticed this small sapling while stacking hay for the horses only a stones throw from the wild american chestnut tree here on the homestead.

I was in disbelief that it was actually a chestnut but upon returning several days later, it is clear that this is a seedling chestnut!

A squirrel must have planted it and then took a trip to the rabbit colony cannabis garden for a snack and forgotten all about it. I was considering trying to transplant it but now I think I'll just put some protection around it and see how it grows right where it is.

#permaculture #permies #homesteading #grownostr #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #silvopasture #chestnut #americanchestnut

nostr:nevent1qqsdvxjdwruhhvhpqmfl3lgdmdmpxd8zau448y220d7eptxnr8uqvygpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qf5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajsxpqqqqqqz07chn7

## Wild American Chestnut Seedling

!()

After 8 years of observation around the homestead an unusual plant often stands out. I noticed this small sapling while stacking hay for the horses only a stones throw from the wild american chestnut tree here on the homestead.

!()

I was in disbelief that it was actually a chestnut but upon returning several days later, it is clear that this is a seedling chestnut!

!()

A squirrel must have planted it and then took a trip to the rabbit colony cannabis garden for a snack and forgotten all about it. I was considering trying to transplant it but now I think I'll just put some protection around it and see how it grows right where it is.

#permaculture #permies #homesteading #grownostr #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #silvopasture #chestnut #americanchestnut

nostr:nevent1qqsdvxjdwruhhvhpqmfl3lgdmdmpxd8zau448y220d7eptxnr8uqvygpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qf5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajsxpqqqqqqz07chn7

nostr:nevent1qqsdvxjdwruhhvhpqmfl3lgdmdmpxd8zau448y220d7eptxnr8uqvygpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qf5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajsxpqqqqqqz07chn7

## Wild American Chestnut Seedling

!

After 8 years of observation around the homestead an unusual plant often stands out. I noticed this small sapling while stacking hay for the horses only a stones throw from the wild american chestnut tree here on the homestead.

!

I was in disbelief that it was actually a chestnut but upon returning several days later, it is clear that this is a seedling chestnut!

!

A squirrel must have planted it and then took a trip to the rabbit colony cannabis garden for a snack and forgotten all about it. I was considering trying to transplant it but now I think I'll just put some protection around it and see how it grows right where it is.

#permaculture #permies #homesteading #grownostr #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #silvopasture #chestnut #americanchestnut

nostr:nevent1qqsdvxjdwruhhvhpqmfl3lgdmdmpxd8zau448y220d7eptxnr8uqvygpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qf5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajsxpqqqqqqz07chn7

nostr:nevent1qqsdvxjdwruhhvhpqmfl3lgdmdmpxd8zau448y220d7eptxnr8uqvygpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qf5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajsxpqqqqqqz07chn7

(couldn't figure out markdown formatting...)

Wild American Chestnut Seedling

After 8 years of observation around the homestead an unusual plant often stands out. I noticed this small sapling while stacking hay for the horses only a stones throw from the wild american chestnut tree here on the homestead.

I was in disbelief that it was actually a chestnut but upon returning several days later, it is clear that this is a seedling chestnut!

A squirrel must have planted it and then took a trip to the rabbit colony cannabis garden for a snack and forgotten all about it. I was considering trying to transplant it but now I think I'll just put some protection around it and see how it grows right where it is.

#permaculture #permies #homesteading #grownostr #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #silvopasture #chestnut #americanchestnut

nostr:nevent1qqsdvxjdwruhhvhpqmfl3lgdmdmpxd8zau448y220d7eptxnr8uqvygpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qf5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajsxpqqqqqqz07chn7

nostr:nevent1qqsdvxjdwruhhvhpqmfl3lgdmdmpxd8zau448y220d7eptxnr8uqvygpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7q3qf5pre6wl6ad87vr4hr5wppqq30sh58m4p33mthnjreh03qadcajsxpqqqqqqz07chn7

Found two chestnut trees in the neighborhood while on a bike ride

I am always keeping my eye out for chestnut trees. I took a bike ride this morning and decided to try a new route. I noticed a chestnut tree poking out amongst some other trees along a ditch.

After finding the first chestnut, in my excitement, I focused on looking hard for more on my way back to the homestead. Bam, another fairly large chestnut popped out along a road I've ridden down many times before without noticing it. The first tree I found was heavily branched so probably not dominant with American genetics, the second had much better timber form but no evidence of nuts. I'll still try to look around for some this fall and try to sprout them if I end up finding any.

#foraging #chestnut #chestnuttree #observeandinteract #treehugger

nostr:nevent1qqsdvxjdwruhhvhpqmfl3lgdmdmpxd8zau448y220d7eptxnr8uqvygpremhxue69uhkummnw3ez6ur4vgh8wetvd3hhyer9wghxuet59upzqngz8n5al4660uc8tw8guzzqpzlp0g0h2rrrkh08y8nwlzp6m3m9qvzqqqqqqynww3un