Unfortunately, it can be tough to tell the many types of chestnut trees apart. 99. People are always shocked to hear that Chestnut wood is relatively extinct in the Northeast. In addition to American chestnut, there are 10 other species of chestnut in the world. Grain/Texture: Grain tends to be wavy or interlocked. If you’re not sure what kind of chestnut trees you have, you may want to consider bringing a leaf or twig sample to your local forest service office or cooperative extension. The Chinese chestnut normally forks low to the ground, at least when growing in the open. The Chinese Chestnut Tree creates a beautiful, vigorous, upright tree in … Chestnut, with its distinctive grain in a range of colors from wheat to dark amber, was the wood which at one time defined rural life in the Eastern United States. American chestnuts aren’t common in most places, but if you are lucky enough to have some growing on your property, you'll find that they make decent firewood. Don’t use it in an open fireplace, as it will send a lot of sparks flying. They will be almost a reddish-brown in color, while the twigs from sweet chestnut are dark brown and those from horse chestnut are a pale brown (though they can also have a red tinge to them, too). gtag('config', 'AW-799896374'); function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} Chinese chestnut trees (Castanea mollissima) are medium tall trees with spreading branches. Color/Appearance: Heartwood is creamy white or yellowish brown, not clearly demarcated from the white sapwood. ]]> Privacy Policy     Advertising Policy     Share This Site     About Me     Additional Resources, This post may contain affiliate links so I earn a, firewood will likely produce a lot of sparks, some other kind of wood in your fireplace, Outside Wood Burning Stoves - Heating With Firewood. This tree was a plentiful species, providing 25 percent of the lumber in the eastern U.S. hardwood forests, until a fungal blight, introduced into North America in 1895, killed all the trees, except for a few sprouts, by 1930. Researchers at the foundation are breeding the American chestnut with the Chinese chestnut, which is resistant to the blight. Of the 6-8 trees we purchased - three have survived and two finally developed burrs this year. I just got around to planing a piece of the Antique Wormy Chestnut and was pleasantly surprised with the beauty and character of the wood. All chestnuts do provide excellent appearing wood, albeit a little soft and weak, for furniture, cabinets and the like. Figure 2. The wood is also inferior to American chestnut. Skip this one if you’re looking for decent firewood. 'dimension5': 'genewengert', Big Wood. Since there are so many different types of chestnut that you could potentially choose from, each of which has different properties and applications, it's often not an easy decision to make. Chinese chestnuts (Castanea mollissima) is an easy-to-grow, fast growing and highly productive tree that has many uses. The dark spot on the second-from-left sample is the iron stain from a nail. Chestnuts on the American and Chinese chestnut trees grow in large, round burs that are spiny in appearance. Your fire won’t last very long, either. In addition to American chestnut, there are 10 other species of chestnut in the world. The nuts are edible, and I was told the wood is not discernable from the American. You may be better off saving this wood and using some other kind of wood in your fireplace. The Janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0.444" steel ball into the wood to half of its diameter. 2 Replies 1201 Views June 10, 2004, 05:44:07 PM by Russ : Is this horse or Chinese chestnut Started by A-z farmer on Tree, Plant and Wood I.D. Figure 1. Face grain of American chestnut wood. It’s a hardwood specimen that tends to spit a lot and doesn’t split well. Certain types of chestnut trees are common only in certain areas as mentioned in the descriptions above. One other detail to note - in some places, American chestnut is a protected endangered species. If you use sweet chestnut, only use it in a wood stove with a door. 'dimension9': '221157' It’s prized more for its nut production and ornamental value than anything else. The nuts are the most desirable and are a rich starchy food that are delicious roasted or made into many dishes, including gluten-free breads. Wood Chopsticks Travel Handmade Wooden chopsticks Handmade Chestnut wood Chopsticks Japanese Chinese chopsticks Oriental Sushi tableware LfstyleCrafts. '); Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. Unfortunately, there’s no short answer to this question. Chestnut Shelling Wood, Quick Chestnut Clip, Chestnut Opener, Nut Opener Sheller, quick chestnut cutter. In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know (both the good and the bad!) [CDATA[//> Product details (17 in stock) Marrisard Chestnut Scionwood. Kiln Dried, 15/16" or thicker, 5"-7" wide x 4'-12' Lengths. Have something to say? Chestnut Trees are majestic and produce large quantities of delicious nuts every year. gtag('config', 'UA-1658554-11', { Green leaves turn to yellow, gold and brown in autumn. Chestnuts are easy to split and start and while a fire built out of chestnut firewood will likely produce a lot of sparks, you’ll find that the sweet, lingering fragrance more than makes up for this mild inconvenience. Notify Me. There are several trees commonly mistaken for American chestnut, foremost among them is the Chinese chestnut, host of the infamous blight that wiped out the American chestnut. When new customers come to the shop to see our furniture first hand, we show them the five different types of reclaimed wood we utilize. [CDATA[//>