Tree id ? Chestnut?

Probably chinese chestnut

I saw something similar in 'The Guide' for American Chestnut. Either that or they are baby bird heads.

The American species is functionally extinct. I have tons, but they usually die before producing nuts from a fungus. Have only seen flowers once. Tree was 15', then abruptly died.They then send up more root suckers to the same fate. They have crossbred the resistant Chinese species to a few survivors to produce hybrids that are mostly American, but resistant. Can't buy em yet, but other hybrids like "Dunstan" are out there.

Now and then I see enough chestnuts of size that will cross-pollinate and make nuts. Usually I see this at edges of woods that were cut back, or in heavily-logged sites - vigorous sprouting & lots of sunshine gets them to fruit...but not for long.

It is not uncommon to find fruits on American Chestnuts here in central PA. We have lots of American Chestnut trees in the range of 4 to 6 inches diameter, but when they get much larger than that they dies of the chestnut blight. In many cases they resprout, so you can find distinctive dead standing small trees with a bunch of suckers coming from the base.

I do not know how to tell American Chestnut from Chinese Chestnut using only the nuts to tell them apart.

The one in the middle is a tennis ball , the other two are most likely Chinese Chestnut. Almost all the American chestnut were killed of by the blight , but there are a few native american chestnut around. I would appreciate a picture of the tree itself , if possible.

I think the chinese chestnut are smaller and more compact. No American of any size here either. What a shame, great tree, great firewood. As a kid I liked popping them open to get the nut out. Thick rubber gloves of course. They were American chestnut. Very stately. Maybe someday they might get a cure for the blight but I've heard it's too late.

BrotherBart said:

3,000 BTUs per pound.

Click to expand...

Won't burning tennis balls create some crud in the flue?