Silviculture & Improvement of Sweet (Spanish) Chestnut Karen - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Silviculture & Improvement of Sweet (Spanish) Chestnut

Karen Russell, FTT Chestnut Group Secretary

Introduction to Chestnut (Castanea sativa)

• Non-native
• Long lived, multipurpose species
• Prefers sheltered & fertile sites
• Relatively easy to establish
• Good apical dominance & rapid growth
• High forest or coppice - short rotations
• Windfirm
• Natural durable, versatile & valuable timber
• Suited to climatic change predictions

High Forest

• Fertile, free draining soils
• Plant with nurse species &

create understorey

• Stump back poor trees
• Use natural pruning
• Crown thin to favour large

crown

• 6m or more clean stem
• Target 40-45 DBH at 50 years
• 150 – 200 trees/ha final crop

High quality timber uses:

• Veneers
• Furniture and joinery
• Structural timber
• Wine/port barrels

Coppice

• Wider range of soil conditions
• Avoid frost prone & wet sites
• Density 1200-1500 stems/ha
• Cut at 5-7 years initially
• Grow as pure crop for

maximum yield

• 14 year rotation
• 110 -130 tonnes/ha average
• Multiple uses
• High wildlife benefits

Potential Constraints

• Shake
• Diseases: Ink Disease (and Chestnut Blight)
• Pests: Squirrels (and Oriental Gall Wasp)
• Lack of culture

FTT Chestnut Group: Objectives

• To identify, conserve & utilise seed stands and
• utstanding ‘plus’ trees
• To increase the quality, quantity & use of timber and

coppice

• To improve industry & public awareness and support
• To provide industry with high quality seed and

seedlings

Progress to Date

• 206 plus trees identified – 56 in Ireland
• Nearly all chestnut in Ireland is within the Coillte estate

Collection & Propagation

• 195 plus trees propagated – 53* Irish trees

Seed Orchards & Clonal Archives

• 2 orchards: Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford, & Torry Hill, Kent
• 2 archives: Mucklagh, Co. Wicklow & Shenmore, Herefordshire

Registered ‘Selected’ Seed Stands

• 3 Coillte stands in Kerry,

Waterford & Wicklow, 8.6ha in total

• 5 stands in southern Britain

including 3 on private estates, 27.5ha in total

Finger-jointing & Glulam Technologies

Industry & Public Awareness & Support

• FTT presentations, events, articles
• Publications
• Wider industry and public engagement
• Trials and demonstration plantings*
• Members’ own activities in promoting

the species and its use

• British Standard mark for chestnut

structural timber

Acknowledgements

• ABFI, Loughall
• Coillte
• COFORD
• DAFM
• Ellen O’Connor
• Ellen Parkinson
• John Leigh-Pemberton
• Ted Horgan
• Teagasc
• University College Dublin
• Charitable Trusts
• Other FTT members &

supporters including private landowners