If you are interested in providing your property with the best food for wildlife, then look no further than the American Chestnut. The Chestnut is sweeter and more nutritious than any other nut available to wildlife and when given the choice deer will eat Chestnuts over acorns every day of the week. Unfortunately, it is not available. The Chestnut is higher in carbohydrates and protein and has no bitter tannin. The Chestnut also grows faster and bears larger nuts at a faster rate than oaks. The Chestnut also bears nuts every year unlike the oaks which only bear every 2-3 years for Red Oak and 4-10 years for White Oak.
Unfortunately, a true American Chestnut is not available for planting. However, there are alternatives. One of those being the Dunston Chestnut. In the early 1950’s a man named James Carpenter found a living American Chestnut in a grove of dead and dying Chestnuts. This tree showed no signs of the blight infection that was killing all the other trees around it. He proceeded to inoculate this tree with blight spores and the tree continued to show resistance to the fungus. After several years he sent budwood to Dr. Robert T. Dunstan, a well-known plant breeder in North Carolina. Dr. Dunston grafted these buds onto rootstock from American Chestnuts and the trees showed blight resistance as well. He then cross pollinated these with Chinese Chestnuts that also showed superior blight resistance. This tree is blight resistant and not immune. The trees continued to show excellent blight resistance and over the years there have been repeated generations of cross breeding to create a tree that has both American and Chinese traits. The Dunston Chestnut is the first Chestnut to receive a U.S. Plant Patent.
In warmer climates the tree can bear nuts in 3-5 years while it takes 5-7 years in colder climates. This tree is also commercially available and can be purchased directly from Chestnut Hill Outdoors or from distributers across the country. If you are interested in providing wildlife with the best of the best in food, then you should consider the Dunston Chestnut.
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