SeedlingChestnut
American Chestnut
Castanea dentata
$6.00per seedling
In stock this season
Sold in groups of 10 — online orders are limited to 1,000 seedlings total.
Quick facts
- Mature size
- — 60–80 ft tall · 40–60 ft wide
- Growth speed
- — Fast — more than 2 ft of new growth a year
- Sunlight
- — Full sun (6+ hrs direct sun)
- Soil
- — Dry / well-drained · Average / moist
- Good for
- — Reforestation & timber · Wildlife food & habitat
- Wildlife
- — Dependable yearly nut crops once fed nearly every forest animal, from deer and bear to turkey and squirrels.
About this species
American chestnut is a once‑dominant native tree celebrated for its straight form, rapid growth, and abundant production of large, sweet nuts. Before the chestnut blight nearly eliminated mature trees in the early 20th century, it was a keystone species across eastern forests, providing food for wildlife and people as well as strong, rot-resistant wood for construction. The tree is easily recognized by its long, serrated leaves and its prolific burr-covered nuts that ripen in fall. Though wild American chestnut rarely grows to full size today, restoration efforts continue through breeding and conservation plantings, keeping hope alive for the return of this iconic species to Ohio’s forests and beyond.
Planting notes
Choose well-drained, acidic soils.