Is wormy chestnut valuable?
Because of the blight wiping out nearly all mature American Chestnut trees, its lumber is both rare and (relatively) valuable. Wormy Chestnut in particular is usually salvaged from old barns and other structures, and reprocessed and sold as reclaimed lumber.
What kind of wood is wormy chestnut?
Wormy chestnut is insect-damaged chestnut lumber from the American chestnut tree. The cause of the damage is the chestnut timber borer beetle, which lays its eggs in the bark of the chestnut tree.
How can you tell a wormy chestnut?
Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a light to medium brown, darkening to a reddish brown with age. Narrow sapwood is well-defined and is pale white to light brown. Wormy Chestnut is also seen, which is chestnut that has been damaged by insects, leaving holes and other discoloration in the wood.
Can you paint wormy chestnut?
Al Fortunato Furnituremaker. Whatever you do do not paint the Chestnut, any of it. Chestnut is a highly sought after species that doesn’t grow to lumber size any more, due to a blight in the early 1900’s. Don’t paint them!
Is wormy chestnut extinct?
In less than 10 years, the American Chestnut was all but extinct. The root bases below the disease were still alive, but the saplings produced did not live long. Researchers have spent the past 100 years trying to revive the species, to no avail.
Are there any American chestnut trees left?
There are an estimated 430 million wild American chestnuts still growing in their native range, and while the majority of them are less than an inch in diameter, they’re easy to find if you know what you’re looking for. But even these persistent saplings are doomed.
Is wormy chestnut the same as American chestnut?
Wormy Chestnut is not a distinct species of Chestnut, but rather refers to American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) trees that were killed by the chestnut blight of the early 1900s, which were subsequently damaged by insects, leaving holes and discoloration in the standing trees.
Is wormy chestnut a hardwood?
Australian wormy chestnut or firestreak is a common name for lumber of Eucalyptus obliqua, Eucalyptus sieberi and Eucalyptus fastigata grown in Victoria, southern New South Wales, and Tasmania in Australia. It is a hardwood species commonly used in flooring applications.
How much is an American chestnut tree worth?
Chestnut Wood
| Color | Pale white to light or dark brown |
|---|---|
| Source | American Chestnut Tree (Castanea dentata (Marshall) Borkh.) |
| Density | 540 lbf (2,400 N) on the Janka scale |
| Cost | $15-20 per square foot (reclaimed) |
| Common Uses | Furniture, Flooring, Art |
How do you identify chestnut wood?
Rays. A sure-fire method for telling chestnut and oak apart is to look for rays – straight bands of tissue – running perpendicular to the growth rings. Oak has broad bands, while chestnut has none. Looking at the end grain will reveal the rays.
What do I do with wormy chestnuts?
Wormy Chestnut in particular is usually salvaged from old barns and other structures, and reprocessed and sold as reclaimed lumber. Between the nail holes, discoloration, worm and insect damage, Wormy Chestnut is preferred in applications where a rustic or unpolished appearance is desired.
Are there still American chestnut trees left?
What is American wormy chestnut?
This is a sanded piece of reclaimed American wormy chestnut. You can see it is rich in color. We are dedicated to saving as much of this wormy chestnut wood as we can find. We are using it to build generational pieces of rustic furniture. This will allow the American chestnut to live on for generations to come.
What is American chestnut wood?
The American chestnut dates back to 1800 and was an economic staple of the original homesteaders in the Appalachian Mountains. The wood was lightweight, weather-resistant, and very easy to chop and hand mill.
Is it too late to save the wormy chestnut tree?
Today there is a law against cutting down the chestnut trees, but it may be too late. Although researchers are still working to revive this amazing tree, they now believe it is not likely to happen. This is a sanded piece of reclaimed American wormy chestnut.
Why are there worm holes in my chestnut tree?
The worm holes you see when you look at reclaimed chestnut were created by a beetle that bored into the deadwood, finding it a great source of nutrition. These beetles quickly mass produced and soon infected not only the American Chestnut, but much of the oak, pine, and black walnut tress in the Appalachians.