Chestnuts as Mast for Deer

[Peter Smallidge]

Posted by a member

Does anyone have experience in planting blight resistant Chestnuts ( Dunstan variety ? ) as a mast crop for Deer in upstate New York ?  Does the CCE have any information or recommendations ?

[Kevin Mathers]

I don't know of anyone planting Chestnuts, but some landowners have had luck with Allegheny Chinkapin (Castanea pumila). It produces similar nuts and would probably produce at a much younger age than Chestnut.  You would need to protect from them from deer browsing.

[Lewis E. Ward]

The 'Dunstan' chestnut variety and seedlings as I recall, were selected in the South. It's questionable whether they would perform well. I will double check and get back to you all. Also where in upstate? Buffalo area is USDA hardiness Zone 6, Connecticut Hill is Zone 4.

[Lewis E. Ward]

From Brian Caldwell,West Danby, NY

I have a grafted Willamette and several Dunstan seedlings.  They are fully hardy at our place.  Several of the seedlings have blight to some degree, but not the Willamette.  I planted other grafted Dunstan trees that died, either due to graft incompatibility or non-hardy rootstocks.   The Willamette is probably our best overall chestnut tree.

 

Brian Caldwell

Department of Horticulture

162 Plant Science

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY 14853

[e-mail]

[Stephen Kutney]

Can you tell me of a place that I can buy this Willamette strain of Chestnuts? Are these blight free or blight resistant?

[Carl Albers]

Hi Stephen,

The NY Nut Growers are a great source of information about chestnuts.  You can also Google for John H. Gordon Nut Trees...John would be one of your most knowledgeable local information sources.  Oikos Tree Crops and Empire Chestnut Company are two other potential sources for chestnuts (to fall plant) and seedlings.

Carl

[BARRY GRAGG]

I have two dozen Dunstans on order for this spring. I'm USDA Zone 5a. I'll keep you posted. Many chestnut sprouts on my property, one of which dropped a crop of burs before succumbing. Will look for Willamette. (BTW I have had no luck with the early-bearing hybrid oaks in my depleted acidic upland Catskills 'soil.' ) 

[Lewis E. Ward]

Barry, Those early bearing hybrid oaks were selected in warmer climates and came from better soils than the Catskills. If you can get seed of Ashworth and can  wait 20 years you'll have something suited to your climate. St Lawrence Nurseries sells seed or seedlings. Bill McKentley took over Fred Ashworth's nursery.

[BARRY GRAGG]

Excellent. Thanks very much for the information. I learn alot the hard way!

[Stephen Kutney]

Barry,

 At one time I had American Chestnuts on my property in Broome County. The forester spotted what remains of a few trunks but not sprouting trees. I planted 11 American Chestnuts a few years ago. Only one is still growning. They were all planted in tree shelters. I have a few Chinese that I planted a few years ago.

  I would like to add more Chestnuts.

Steve

 

 

[BARRY GRAGG]

Hi Steve,

Are you planting for mast or for timber?

Barry

[Stephen Kutney]

Barry,

  Mast. I plant them in my field near my apple orchard.

Steve

 

 

[Stephen Chilcote]

I had a client once who grafted American chestnuts to chinese chestnut trees. They grew into a low tree and produced a pretty good crop of nuts.

Chinese chestnuts will grow well in open sun but I have no idea how many years it takes to start producing.

We had one in my yard when I was a teen back in the 70s.  The house was built around 1940 so the tree was 30+ and I got sick of racking up nuts.  There were barrels full of them.