# Chestnut oak???



## Occo370 (Aug 22, 2011)

I got a nice load of oak dropped off.   They said it was chestnut oak.    Anyone hear of it?


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## chvymn99 (Aug 22, 2011)

Never heard of it, buts its on both Leafsnap App and Wikipedia.  Here's the link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_prinus


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## NH_Wood (Aug 22, 2011)

Yup - also called rock oak - Quercus prinus (or montana - things have been changing) - great stuff - enjoy! Cheers!


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## Occo370 (Aug 22, 2011)

Sounds like good firewood.   I should plant one.   Let the kids burn it when I'm dead.


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## cptoneleg (Aug 22, 2011)

Great wood about all I have on my place in Va. compare it to White Oak


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## golfandwoodnut (Aug 22, 2011)

In Pa. most all the chestnut oak is dead from disease about 100 years ago, a rare find around here.  I have some chestnut oak hardwood floors in an old house I own, very nice wood.


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## Wood Duck (Aug 22, 2011)

Chestnut Oak is not the same tree as American Chestnut. The American Chestnut was wiped out by a disease years ago, and now is mainly found as stump sprouts and smaller seedlings. Chestnut Oak is still very common in PA and beyond, especially in rocky mountainous places, and has wood pretty similar to White Oak. Chestnut Oak is an oak with leaves that resemble chestnut leaves, hence the name, but it is very much an oak, acorns and all.

I have a lot of Chestnut Oak in my stacks. Nice firewood, just like White Oak. As somebody else already posted, Chestnut Oak is also called Rock Oak in some places.


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## golfandwoodnut (Aug 22, 2011)

Good call, I guess if it has Acorns then it is an Oak versus Chestnuts.  Of cours they have to confuse me with calling it a chestnut oak.  I have alot of white Oak, I do not really know if some are Chestnut Oak I will have to look up a leaf as I do not know what chestnut leaves look like.

I did a quick search and I do not have any trees with those leaves or bark pattern, so I have good old white oak.  The bark is nothing like white oak, here is a link:
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/trees/oak_chestnut/tabid/5391/Default.aspx


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## Wood Duck (Aug 22, 2011)

I am not sure how common Chestnut Oak is around Pittsburgh, but if you make a trip up into the mountains to the east of you you'll find plenty of Chestnut Oak. The leaves are not similar to other oaks - shaped like chestnut leaves but with rounded rather than pointed teeth.


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## Kaptain (Aug 22, 2011)

I have them all over my property (central PA).  The older trees have very deep and thick bark.

Haven't burned any but I'm sure it's as good as any other oak.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 22, 2011)

I've heard of it but never seen one that I know of.


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## cptoneleg (Aug 22, 2011)

Chestnut Oak  well heck Dennis was going to post some pictures of some having trouble again


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 22, 2011)

Check your PM's.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 22, 2011)

Here are the pictures. I did resize them a bit.


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## cptoneleg (Aug 22, 2011)

Thanks Dennis, I went back to that other place and got it working but do not know what I did.


Good Luck and them be Chestnut Oaks, and here is a stack going in the stove this year, heck wont work again


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## CTYank (Aug 23, 2011)

Occo370 said:
			
		

> I got a nice load of oak dropped off.   They said it was chestnut oak.    Anyone hear of it?



'Round these parts, chestnut oaks (except swamp chestnut oak) are primarily found on dry rocky ridges. They're called chestnut oaks because of the shape of the leaves- pointy symmetrical ovals with no real sinuses, but possibly many little indentations or serrations.

Some of them are really difficult to split, even with hydraulics, because of the grain spiraling in different directions. Noodle city.


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## Occo370 (Aug 23, 2011)

Luckily this was real easy to split


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## cptoneleg (Aug 23, 2011)

Splits about like the other oaks  burns great


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## Pagey (Aug 23, 2011)

We have a ton of these growing on my paternal grandmother's farm.  They love the shallow, rocky soil.  Deep, furrowed bark and acorns the size of a baseball!  They are beautiful trees, but being shallow rooted, they die off easily in droughts.  They make good firewood.


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## Wood Duck (Aug 24, 2011)

I am not sure if Pagey is talking about the same tree as I am, but here Chestnut Oak is among the most drought-tolerant trees. They grow on the driest hilltops and I can't recall seeing any of them die or even show much sign of stress in droughts. Not that we have real droughts here, but where the Chestnut Oaks grow it can get pretty dry in the summer.


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## cptoneleg (Aug 24, 2011)

Wood Duck said:
			
		

> I am not sure if Pagey is talking about the same tree as I am, but here Chestnut Oak is among the most drought-tolerant trees. They grow on the driest hilltops and I can't recall seeing any of them die or even show much sign of stress in droughts. Not that we have real droughts here, but where the Chestnut Oaks grow it can get pretty dry in the summer.







 Im south of you and the Chestnut Oaks are the healthiest of all


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## Pagey (Aug 25, 2011)

Yeah, I am talking about the same tree, unfortunately.  We've lost several over the last few summers due to their preference for shallow, rocky soil during dry summers.  That's not to say we lose a bunch every year, but during the unseasonably dry summers we've been prone to the last 5 years, we've lost some when other trees made it.  I hate to lose them, as they provide excellent shade around the "lake" (read: big ass pond) on the family farm.


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## cptoneleg (Aug 25, 2011)

I noticed today I have some Red Oaks dead or Dying, one is up by the power lines gonna try and get Rappahannock Electric Coop to take care of , in 18" to 20"  lenghts will be nice' :zip:


 By the way these Chestnuts have normal size acorns no baseball size here. :lol:


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## gpcollen1 (Aug 25, 2011)

Just to add, Chestnut Oak definitely thrives on rocky hillsides and forests.  It is quite often found with Hemlocks.  IN the State Forest by me, they are mixed among beech, hemlock and hickory on various stands [Pootatuck in New Fairfield, CT]  Quite a nice species of oak for wildlife food and wood.  i find that this wood splits rather well.  I saved the last of mine for the smoker as it does not seem as tannic as other oaks...but this is with limited experience using my own wood...


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## shawneyboy (Aug 25, 2011)

GolfandWoodNut said:
			
		

> In Pa. most all the chestnut oak is dead from disease about 100 years ago, a rare find around here.  I have some chestnut oak hardwood floors in an old house I own, very nice wood.



Maybe so in Western PA but not here in the Pocono's.  I have many, many, Chestnut Oaks on property.  They burn nice and long and hot !

Shawn


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## kettensÃ¤ge (Aug 25, 2011)

I have one of those next to my wood shed, 22" DBH, forked about 35' from the ground, 70 to 80' tall. It will be in the shed one of these days.


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## Pagey (Aug 26, 2011)

Here's the deep, furrowed bark of one of the chestnut oaks on the family farm.  There's a mixture of hickory, maple, and tulip poplar all around.


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