West Virginia land

In negotiation for 34 acres of wooded and somewhat _______________ ahhh wooded and steep land.

Nancy Reading - you are my hero, while I will not be able to do a field of trees, I hope to begin a project to restore the American Chestnut to this land.

All my best to you.


Peace

Hey Deane, see my blush!

How are things coming on there?

I gather that chestnut blight is a thing? Got a plan for that?

I've sent a couple of emails to the real estate folks, the land has been on the market since March 1st. of this year, asking if the owners are ready to talk about the real fair market value of their hunting land.  I've also not received an answer to the question of mineral rights to the land.  The only flat land is along the creek, which I would clear all the small trees and plant the area as a food plot for wildlife.

I like the land, there are a few spots where a small cabin or house could be built, with room for a garden or two.  
The asking price is a little over $2500.00 per acre, and I'm not willing to pay that much.

As far as I know, there are no Chestnut trees east of the Rocky Mts.  The trees I would plant are hybrids of Chinese and American trees.  I have found over the years a stray young sapling growing from the old stumps, but sad to say they die in only three or four years.

I've been busy with clearing my mothers estate, putting her ashes to rest with my father and planning to hold some yard sales this month, my parents were in this house since 1971!

Love seeing the photos of your passion at work in those old fields.


Peace

                   

Deane, definitely find our about the mineral rights as so many property owners do not own them.  

Michelle, when and if we can come to terms on price, I'll make a few calls and find an attorney to do a search for mineral rights.

This land is in Monroe County, near ahhh,  criminy not near anything, that's part of what I like about the place.  Not really, just kidding the closest town I think is called Ballard.  If you know this area please let me know.


Peace

there are a couple major projects replanting chestnut trees in the former native habitat in eastern United States . the American chestnut foundation and the  chestnut growers of America
are two organizations. there are two basic approaches taken to restore American chestnut trees, one is genetic modification and the other is a blight resistant cross breeding.
I have both Chinese chestnuts and dustan chestnut trees growing in East Tennessee and just this year after planting 8 and 10 years ago they are finally beginning to look like something and will hopefully produce a good crop in the next few years. I grow them naturally in a fairly wild habitat with a lot of pressure and loss from deer mostly. I just started mowing between the trees last year. some of the treasure still only a couple feet tall but there are probably a couple hundred that are at least 8-12' tall. I left some space for some American chestnut trees if I can find any seedlings at a low enough cost to afford or if I can find good nuts to grow in the future.

Deane Adams wrote:
This land is in Monroe County, near ahhh,  criminy not near anything, that's part of what I like about the place.  Not really, just kidding the closest town I think is called Ballard.  If you know this area please let me know.


Peace

Sorry I'm a bit farther north and not really familiar with the area.  I do love that the population is approximately half of the county I live in.  

I'm sorry for your loss Deane. Hopefully things will work out with the land.

I looked up Dunstan chestnuts and they look great - decendents of a naturally blight resistant American chestnut crossed with Chinese chestnuts: A little of the history here

Bruce, I know of the foundation and all of their work to bring back the Chestnuts.  I was a little worried about the GMO thingy to be used against the blight, all I could think of was a Godzilla type of thing happening.  I hope that with more testing a treatment may one day be found.  For now I'm glad that the testing is limited.

In the late 80's I was buying all the chestnut lumber I could locate.  It did not matter to me where it was, I would buy it and pay the shipping charges.  I stored the lumber away, using only limited amounts, built my father a gun cabinet,  did a kitchen and stair way in one of my houses, but just sat on most of it.  I have sold or given most of the lumber away now, only a few sticks left.  Many of my friends at the time said I was a fool for spending so much money on truck loads of "old" lumber!!!

I don't know just how much I made on the lumber, I at least doubled or perhaps did better, didn't really care about the money, I did it because it was a great wood that I did not want to be lost.

I know that I will never see the forests restored, perhaps our grandchildren will, and I want to have a part in that, like you have done.

Peace

Just an update ----- it seems that my search for land will continue.  I finally received a phone call from the realty office, and was told that the owner wasn't accepting offers at this time.

I'm not really that sad, maybe a little disappointed, the land didn't speak or sing to me.  I believe that I could have spent my remaining days upon that rather steep land and been happy.  If I became a goat person, I would have had to buy small atv's for the goats to ease their return each evening!!!  ( Not kidding, steep may not be the right word )

Still looking, not too far in the north (might not make it till spring), not any deeper into the south (even hotter, too many bad storms, too many people).  Was once looking at NW Arkansas, may start again.


Peace

just thought I'd chime in here.
interesting day today.
I had to go into the nearest city to me which has a population of probably about 40,000. it's about 30 mile drive for me. I figured while I was in town I would get lunch at the most popular Chinese restaurant there. sitting in the booth chewing on broccoli I overheard this conversation among a couple life long residents. they were talking about trying to buy land in my neighborhood. the prices have skyrocketed and there is much more demand than there is availability. I believe this is all very common these days in this part of the country, southern Appalachia, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. western North Carolina has is own growth problems since investors have bought up huge tracts of land and built roads and divided it into 5 and 10 acre "rural" gated subdivision parcels sold off to people that can afford to have a second home and now many of those who had been there for generations can no longer afford to live there.
keep looking there will always be people selling gram's old place in the woods