A12 foot Chestnut Stump
This inner ring of this big colossal giant was measured in March of 2019. The inside measurement, even after years of decay, inside moss ring measured 10 feet and 2 inches. The outer ring of the Chestnut stump, could have easily lost 2 feet of its outer diameter, easily exceeding 12 to 14 feet on the stump. This tree was harvested in 1941. After a fungal blight in 1903, this tree likely died after 1920. According to local historians, lumberman Smith Johnson harvested this dead standing Chestnut. It took countless mules and oxen to pull the big mighty Chestnut off of the mountain.
This is a closer look at the decaying Chestnut stump.
Out of the 2 exhibits shown, the top shows an example of an 8 inch Chestnut tree that was harvested 15 years ago after it had already died most likely of a fungal blight. The bottom exhibit is a sample removed from the 10′ 2″ Chestnut; even after all these years, the chestnut is very weather resilient.
The American Chestnut burr, with its hidden treasure, is a little bit smaller than the Chinese or Spanish Chestnut trees, holding 3 seeds instead of 2. At one time the Chestnut was heavily trade on the commodities market. Also, hogs and cattle love them as a food source.
