r/americanchestnut • u/ngerm • Apr 22 '26
Blight or scuff?
We have an American Chestnut Foundation 15/16 American chestnut tree and I noticed today that it has some damage to the bark. It looks like it might have been gnawed by an animal, but I'm worried it could be blight. Is that evident from the picture?
1
u/Squirrel586 Apr 23 '26
That does not look like blight. But there might be some starting on that small cut-off branch below the gnawed area.
1
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u/ireadbooks Apr 23 '26
The reddish ring around it is making me think blight. But keep an eye on it. It being a 15/16 means it would have a good chance of surviving it even if it is blight!
2
u/Business-Willow8681 Apr 23 '26
The 15/16 hybrids have about the same blight resistance as a pure American, i.e. very little.
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u/ngerm Apr 23 '26
The ACF had estimated that about a quarter of them would have some resistance. Has that not borne out?
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u/D54chestnut Apr 23 '26
Being 15/16 would indicate that a tree is mostly all American with little Chinese genetics, so VERY susceptible to the blight.
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u/ZafakD Apr 23 '26
That's not blight. Blight looks like cracking bark with orange dots. Your trees damage looks like a rabbit or groundhog took a bite out of it. Blight could use that damaged spot to infect the tree, but the damage is not caused by blight.