Native Trees of Kentucky 



43 



B. CHESTNUTS GENUS CASTANEA. 



There are two species native to Kentucky: 



a. Chestnut Castanea dentata. 



b. Chinquapin Castanea pumila. 



a. Chestnut Castanea dentata. 



The Chestnut is among the 

 largest of the hardwood trees. 

 As its best development de- 

 pends more upon good drain- 

 age than rich soil, it is found 

 most abundantly in the moun- 

 tain regions above 1200 feet. 

 It is common through the up- 

 per Green River region, but 

 nowhere grows lustily on lime- 

 stone soil. 



The tannic acid in the wood 

 preserves it from decay when 

 in contact with the soil, so that 

 the timber is in great demand 

 at a good price for mine tim- 

 ber, railroad ties, telegraph and 

 telephone poles. The Chestnut is such a rapid grower that two 

 crops of poles can be grown in the same time that most trees 

 produce one crop of saw timber. For cabinet work and furni- 

 ture, the lumber approaches the ( )ak in value. The nuts are also 

 of commercial importance. Grown in the open, the Chestnut is 

 highly prized for its depth of shade and beauty of foliage and 

 flowers. 



As a forest tree it is little troubled by insects or fungi, but 

 park trees, in the last two years, have been killed in great numbers 

 by a fungus growth that has not yet been checked. 



