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Chestnuts have played an important role in human and wildlife health for thousands of years. Archeologists discovered chestnuts in eastern Michigan from 3000-1000 BC. It slowly made its way north and east and reached its highest densities in the 1800’s. The renaissance scientist Thomas Harriot wrote in 1590 that the Native Americans in Virginia made loaves of bread from pounded chestnuts to eat with a type of bean. Many early settlers found out that chestnuts made “commendable nourishment”. A folk medicine was made from the leaves to cure whooping cough. In 1880 near Seymour, Indiana, a tree was recorded which had a 22 ft. diameter trunk. Not all chestnuts are the equivalent of nut sequoias in the forest. Today it's possible to grow different species and hybrids, which makes it the most practical and productive of all nut trees. The sweet flavor of these carbohydrate nuts is enjoyed by humans as well as turkeys, deer, bears, and many other mammals and birds. Chestnuts can be cooked with other vegetables and be used like a potato. In Animal Husbandry and books on human health, chestnuts were recommended for ‘bulking up’ before winter sets in and for animals that were emaciated. Chestnuts contain 4% balanced protein. The rot-resistant lumber was used for fences, ties, electric poles, furniture and caskets. The wood is light and coarse-grained with a creamy white background.
American Hybrid Chestnut — Castanea dentata x mollissima
Developed by using the widest variety of types found within the Douglass hybrids originally from upstate New York. Combines the fast growth, upright habit of the American with the blight resistance of the Chines...		 More Details
Chinese Chestnut — Castanea mollissima
This is the species used for chestnut orchards and yard trees. Because of its blight immunity and its large nut size this tree has been widely distributed in North America. Very adaptable to Michigan’s sandy acid...		 More Details
Chinquapin Hybrid Chestnut — Castanea pumila hybrida
Naturally hybridized cross that resembles the chinquapin of the eastern U.S. woodlands, only this one is a small single trunk tree and is resistant to chestnut blight. A similar form of this cross is found in the...		 More Details
Cultural Suggestions
Growing the American Chestnut-We are unable to maintain pure American chestnut to fruiting age before the blight destroys them. Possibly someone will find a true producing blight resistant tree that produces all ...		 More Details
European Hybrid Chestnut — Castanea sativa x mollissima
We started using selections from these crosses because of their high yields and large nut size. These are a mix of different crosses all of which show excellent resistance to blight and have naturally wide crotch...		 More Details
Ken's Select American Hybrid Chestnut — Castanea dentata
Selected from 5 trees that have been growing here for over 25 years with no signs of blight, even though they are exposed. For the most part these trees look much more “American” and have a high percentage of Ame...		 More Details
Prolific American Hybrid Chestnut — Castanea x hybrida
Seed Strain selected for productivity with no blight after 30 years. Compact parent tree. Medium sized nuts fill the burrs completely. There are two trees that we use for this cross and both contain more of the C...		 More Details
Seguin Hybrid Chestnut — Castanea seguinii x mollissima
We received this cross many years ago and have a few producing trees at our farm. It is a smaller fruited strain that produces quickly from seed in as little as 3 to 5 years. Rounded open crown. Clusters of burr...		 More Details
Timburr Chestnut — Castanea x dentata hybrid
This is our most American-like hybrid cross producing vigorous seedlings with a dominant central leader. Seedlings show high heritability of upright growth with good resistance to chestnut blight within the major...		 More Details

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