On April 30, Sandy showed Jack and me her land which she hopes will become a chestnut orchard site. We dug a soil sample and it looked dark and rich in organic matter and It was not overly wet after the recent heavy rains. I concluded that the site has good potential for a chestnut planting possibly next spring.
After we viewed the potential chestnut orchard site, Sandy took us to a neat forest which was close to her possible chestnut orchard site. It was dominated by oaks, especially chestnut oak and in the shrub layer we found lots of blooming azalea which is quite rare in Middle TN. The place looked like good chestnut habitat and sure enough, Jack and I soon spotted a couple of American chestnut sprouts. Had we more time, I am confident we would have found more.
I have attached a few photos of Sandy, Jack, and me at the potential orchard site and the nearby forest.
