Big chestnut oak

[landscraper]

I was looking at a roadbuilding job today going up the slope of a mountain in the Piedmont of the Blue Ridge and I came upon this chestnut oak, biggest one I've personally seen.



I hung my vest for scale in the picture, I measured the vest hanging the same way at home and it's between 12"-14" at the widest, so I'm ballparking the diameter of the tree at at 56"-60".  That's not Champion Tree material for my state, but it's up there with the top 10 or so on the list.  Pretty cool to see one that big, usually 18"-24" is as big as I see.  If I go back I am going to take a reel tape and measure it.  There was a big black oak about 10' away, 48"+, and lots of big locust and sassafrass.  Higher up on the mountain it leveled off and you could see where it had been logged more recently, trees more in the 18" range, but on this slope it steep and not as accessible.

[chester_tree _farmah]

Very nice tree. Looks healthy too.

[pasbuild]

THATS a monster   does chestnut oak make good lumber?

[mesquite buckeye]

Cool ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

[WDH]

Very nice tree.

[landscraper]

Chestnut oak is often sold mixed in with white oak.  I think the big difference between the two is that the white oak is closed porous? which is why it is more rot resistant and durable, and the chestnut oak is open pore(I am sure I am using the wrong term here,  a forester can correct my description  :D)  and acts more like red oak in terms of durability when exposed to the environment.  This tree will likely never be cut though, it is in a protected area due to the severity of the slope, the county has rules about disturbing soils on >25% slopes.

[WDH]

White oaks have tyloses which clog up the pores.  All except one white oak, chestnut oak.  It does not have tyloses like its brothers and sisters.  Red oaks do not have tyloses.  So, chestnut oak, although a white oak, it is in fact more like a red oak pore wise. 

[timberlinetree]

Good ones are always in the tuff spots. That's a big one. Thanks for posting.