The American Chestnut is VERY susceptible to the blight. The American Chestnut Foundation is working on some trees that are blight resistant, but they won't be available to the public for some time to come.

TrapperTrets: Thanks for that link.

I have a spot in my field that would do well for a dozen chestnuts. And lots of deer moving through.

Thanks again.

The blight will kill just about any American Chestnut before it reaches full maturity. Different breeders have been crossing the American with the Chinese for the last 50 years or so to try to get a mostly American Chestnut that can withstand the blight. Some successful ones are about 95% American with the blight resistance of the Chinese all that is left of it. You can find lots of information on some of the Chestnut websites.

What is the difference in exterior shell looks?

They both look like they have a spiny shell.

A lady down the street from me says that about the smell of the blossoms each summer when they bloom. She calls them sperm trees even. I always think she opens herself up for a lot of comments when she says that, but I never say anything.

When investigating a tree I found few years ago .
I believe its determined in the leafs, configuration.
I started my search on the American Chestnut Foundation website.

Think you have an American Chestnut?

Buckeyes are poison and will kill cows if they eat a bunch. They lay on the ground all winter and the squirrels will not touch them or anything else that I can tell. I cut them down all the time but still have a lot.

Thanks for the link Dillrod.

Do you cut any that are big enough for lumber? They make real good boards for coon, fox, otter and such if they are wide enough to use. Take push pins real easy. I am willing to travel to to pick them up if so.

If you want to fool with it there are two by the gate that are easy to get to. The biggest would be a 16 to 18 inch butt.

I have never seen anything eat them. The chestnuts are dropping right now so you should be able to see for your self if deer are eating any.

Not to Highjack This thread,
But the discussion of Buckeyes came up sometime back.
A member on here was introducing the fact that they made flour often from this.
Would enjoy a PM from him.

Now back to topic.

I know of one tree .
It was evident that there were few burs with actual nuts inside laying around..
I believe the deer were sorting them.
Others see this ?

I have heard 1/2 of a buckeye is poisonous and 1/2 is good, only a squirrel knows. May just be an old tale.

I noticed that most people commenting here are in the traditional Chestnut range which is zone 5. I ordered some from Musser Forest a long time ago, and all died but one. That one grew about an inch a year for a few years, and then just died. I was zone 4 and that is what the Chinese chestnut is planted for, as most of the hybrids at 50 dollars a tree are expensive.
I have some black walnuts that grow like weeds in reseeding that my Grandfather had, but they are not deer food, just squirrels. I make that point in I can grow nut trees here, tried Hazelnuts which did grow but the catkins freeze off as they blossom too early for zone 4. I have the same problem with peaches in I can get them to grow like crazy for a few years, and then we get a winter where the soil is dry and it freeze six feet down and that is it for the peach trees.
In all honesty the deer here will not eat acorns, but they are Burr Oak. I have a bag of these huge acorns I collected while in Kansas that I still intend to plant, as wildlife eats them there. The long of this is, if you are in an area which American Chestnuts will grow, then plant them as wildlife loves them. If not, the alternatives are Chinamen or filling in with some apple trees. For that, most rootstock Nurseries have a rootstock out of Russia, which is hardy to 50 below. They produce a big pie apple and deer will eat them, even if the deer prefer the sweeter long season apples like Haralson.
I do envy all of you who are able to grow real chestnuts and all of those other mystery trees. I have wasted a great deal of money in trying to get plants to grow where God never intended.

Mine did not produce too heavy last time. If I didn't pick em up every day, the deer did. I froze them, used some for baking, and the rest will get planted. I have a half of a drum full of American Black Walnuts to plant TOO. if NOONE PLANTED COOL TREES, THERE'D BE LESS OF THEM.

If someone going to Burnt Ridge fur sale wants a few you can have some. I'm not mailing them.