Sweet Chestnut, Castanea sativaSeveral cultivars are available including leaf variants and trees with conical habit. Sources of seed and plants Native to the Mediteranean countries, Sweet chestnut was introduced to Britain before Norman times. It has been widely planted in the lowlands of England being important in the coppice plantations of Kent, Sussex and Hereford. The finest trees and stands are found in the Midlands and southern counties of England and it grows well in south-west England; healthy trees are also found in Scotland. Silviculture A moderate shade bearer often grown in pure stands. Sweet chestnut must be thinned early and regularly to produce straight, cylindrical stems. Many branches are lost by natural pruning. Soil types Grows best on well-drained, fertile and slightly acid sandy loams. Unsuitable for wet soils and soils derived from chalk or limestone. Rate of growth and yield Young trees grow quickly with whorls of upward-slanting branches to produce a conical crown. It is grown as coppice on rotations of 15 to 20 years and commonly yields 4 to 6 dry tonnes per hectare per year. Sweet chestnut is long-lived. attaining an age of 400 years. Forest trees commonly reach 24 metres in 50 years with stem diameters of 40 cms. Single stemmed trees exceeding 30 metres in height and with stem diameters of 150 cms or more are known but these usually have "ring shake" and the timber is then of little value. Protection and resistance The chestnut blight Endothia parasitica is always a potential cause of damage; the Ink disease due to Phytophora species is associated with high soil moisture content. Sweet chestnut is very frost tender and is damaged by air pollution. It is deep rooting and wind firm but does not withstand constant wind exposure. It is frequently damaged by grey squirrels but is less often damaged by rabbits. Establishing and tending Sweet chestnut requires careful planting. It produces ripe fruits after warm summers and coppices strongly. Timber properties A ring porous species with a coarse texture and yellowish brown in colour. The sapwood is narrow and clearly distinguishable from the heartwood. Usually straight-grained but the timber of old trees may have spiral grain and ring shake. Owing to its acidic nature the timber accelerates corrosion of metals in contact with it; also stains when in contact with metals. Clear timber is good for bending and satisfactory for staining and polishing. The heartwood is durable and extremely resistant to penetration by preservatives. Amenity value A splendid, erect and well-foliaged tree with distinctive flowers in August. Conservation The nuts provide food for pheasants. Timber value Resembles oak in appearance but is lighter and more easily worked. Used for furniture, coffin boards, fencing, gates and for casks. Coppiced chestnut is durable and used for cleft fencing, stakes and hop poles. Economic appraisal A good productive species for England south of a line from the river Mersey to the river Humber. Should be grown pure or in mixture with larch or beech and oak on rotation of 50 to 60 years to stem diameters of 35 to 45 cms so that the timber is free from ring shake. Sweet chestnut coppice is still worked in Kent, Sussex and Hereford. |
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