American chestnut   wad-@comcast.net
  Sep 13, 2005 08:20 PDT 
ENTS, Dale

I wanted to report on our only and last native American chestnut tree on the property where I work in Se Pa., Delaware county. I measured it today, as I went out to check on it's blight situation. Two years ago a hunter used a climbing tree stand to go up the tree, piercing the bark on every move. The tree then contracted blight and the cambium began to collapse. This year (today) the tree seems to have stabilized, as there is about an inch of scar tissue formed all around the wounds. The wounds are about 5" wide and about 2' long, with several up the tree on the one side. It appears to be closing up the wounds. I guess time will tell. Anyway, here are the numbers for this fruiting chestnut.

2'6cbh x 64.1' tall with a 29' spread.

Scott
American chestnut   wad-@comcast.net
  Sep 16, 2005 08:20 PDT 
Ed (private email) 

The woodpecker holes/sap sucker holes are actually from a climbing deer stand. Notice the new cambium forming around the wound I cleaned off. Almost an inch in one year. The tree was fairly healthy before the hunter used it. 

a_chestnut_trunks.jpg (365275 bytes)

Chestnut Trunks
a_chestnut_trunk_damage.jpg (349065 bytes)

Chestnut trunk damage - the rows of lines are not sapsucker holes, but marks from tree climbing spikes.

 a_chestnut_damage_cleaned.jpg (362164 bytes)

Chestnut trunk with damage cleaned.

The tree is located in Delaware county Pa at an elevation around 280-300, north facing slope, PH 0f 4.5 on an undisturbed site (read never farmed) grows with white red black and chestnut oak, bitternut and mockernut hickory, beech and red maple. understory is dogwood mountain laurel low bush blueberry azalea and spotted wintergreen. 

Scott
RE: PA Chestnut Update   wad-@comcast.net
  Sep 01, 2006 18:09 PDT 
ENTS

A representative of the American Chestnut Foundation was out yesterday to look at our tree. It is about 10" diameter and close to 70' tall. Their interest was that our tree was hit by the blight about two to three years ago, and is healing over. It seems that once the blight hits that the trees don't defend themselves. This one is, although I think it may be different next year. It did not set any nuts this year, where it did last year.    I guess time will tell. There are three American Chestnuts listed on my webpage, but I wonder what an ENTS measurement would tell us. One is reputed to be 105' tall. Any volunteers??   

Scott