Sweet chestnut: silviculture, timber quality and yield in the Forest of Dean

The silviculture, performance and value of sweet chestnut (Castaneasativa Miller) are reviewed in the light of experience in theForest of Dean in Gloucestershire. The many advantages of includingthe species within broadleaved woodland include its ease ofestablishment, fast growth rate, and the high value of its timber.Veneer and first quality planking material fetch premium prices.That it is not more widely planted is mainly due to the widelyheld view that it is difficult or impossible to grow chestnutlogs that are not shaken. Shake is shown to be mainly a problemof overmature trees. Ink disease (Phytophthora sp.) is not regardedas a major limitation, especially in new plantings. Guidanceis given on the conversion of chestnut coppice to high forest.Yield tables are presented which may be applied to chestnuthigh forest of coppice origin in the Forest of Dean, and withcaution elsewhere in southern England. The data for the bettersites in the Forest of Dean indicate possible yields of up to11 m³ ha^–1 a^–1, and a dominant diameter incrementof up to 1 cm a^–1.