Chestnut Resource Hub

The chestnut (Castanea), a member of the beech family (Fagaceae), has provided value to humans through timber products, ecosystem services, livestock feed, and edible nuts for millennia. Chestnut cultivation is increasing in the US where the Chinese (C. mollissima), European (C. sativa), and Japanese (C. crenata) species are most commonly grown for their edible nuts. Interspecific hybrids involving these species and others, especially the American chestnut (C. dentata (Marshall) Borkh), are grown throughout the eastern US. The most prevalent species by far is the Chinese chestnut owing to its superior nut qualities, climatic adaptation, and resistance to chestnut blight and phytophthora root rot. Several hundred thousand pounds of high-quality fresh nuts are taken to market every fall, and several hundred additional orchards are entering bearing years. A large demand continues to exceed the supply, even as new plantings are established and existing orchards mature.

Below is a compendium of resources available on chestnut cultivars, production, processing, and marketing. As more publications and other media are released, they will be added to this hub.

For more information about the Center for Agroforestry’s chestnut research,

Visit the Chestnut Improvement Network website
Often planted and maintained for their conservation value, trees on farms can also be an integral part of a farm’s crop production. With diversity comes resilience and complexity: hear both academic research and on-the-ground farmer perspectives about the why, what, how, and when of perennial tree crops.
After decades of trial and error, cultivar test orchards, and local breeding efforts, chestnuts are about to take a big leap towards becoming more regionally adapted and rooted in productive agroforestry systems across their range. The Chestnut Improvement Network is a participatory breeding program led by Dr. Ron Revord, tree crop geneticist at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, with key producer partners, including Dr. Greg Miller, chestnut grower and tree geneticist at the Route 9 Cooperative.
The Chestnut Financial Decision Support Tool is designed to facilitate producers’ development of an enterprise budget for chestnut production. For more information and assistance, contact Zhen Cai at caiz@missouri.edu
ChestnutDecisionSupportToolDownload
chestnutmarketreport-31Download
Where-are-the-ideal-locations-for-the-Missouri-SoilsDownload

MU Center for Agroforestry publications on nut trees:

Nut Trees
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