Chestnut

Origin: France, Russia.

Latin name.
Castanea sativa Mill.

Natural vegetation area.
In Italy: low-altitude mountain area both of the Alpine chain and of Apennines. In Europe, it grows in the southern area and in various areas of the central-western sector, with discontinuous establishment deriving from old artificial plants; it can also be found in Asian Turkey and on the Atlas Mountains in North Africa.

TRUNK CHARACTERISTICS.
They are very different according to the management and treatment of stands. Coppice sprouts are straight and regular, whereas the standard trees for the fruit production are influenced by grafting and cultivation practices; the tree height can reach 30 metres, and the diameter at breast height even 2 metres; the foliage is very large, on forks or big branches with rather low insertions. The growth habit is never very regular: especially in the trees used for the production of chestnuts, there is always a clear degeneration with grain deviation near the graft; frequent ring shakes.

WOOD APPEARANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS.
The section of coppice sprouts is generally entirely whitish/yellowish: this colour is also the colour of the thin sapwood of standard trees, in which the heartwood, clearly distinguishable, has dark colours of various intensity, sometimes with much darker variegation. The growth rings, of various sizes according to site, can be clearly identified. High tannin content.

Specific weight.
In the fresh condition and in standard trees, around 1,000 kg/m³; after normal seasoning 580 kg/m³; for coppice, lower values are to be recorded.

Histological structure.
Whereas the texture is to be defined as coarse, the grain – as has already been said – is strongly influenced by the habitat, by the forest management and by cultivation practices: very often spiral grain has become more marked.

Shrinkage.
From low to medium.

Mechanical characteristics.
Axial compression strength 50 N/mm² on average; bending strength 105 N/mm²; hardness from low to medium; the impact behaviour is from low to medium.

Modulus of elasticity.
11.400 N/mm².

Most frequent structural defects and alteration.
Ring shake; marked grain deviation; often irregular trunk shape, and degeneration at the graft in fruit chestnut trees.

Durability.
Poor for the sapwood; from fair to good for the heartwood.

 

Texts taken from: “Manuale tecnico del legno”, FNALA CNA LEGNO LEGNO, by Prof. Ing. Guglielmo Giordano.

 

Species available for the following products: