Special Collection

American Chestnut

It’s rare to hold a piece of American chestnut.

Once one of the most important trees in the eastern forest, the American chestnut was nearly wiped out by blight in the early 1900s. Billions of trees were lost in the span of a generation. Today, most surviving chestnuts live as “ghost trees” — sending up young shoots from old roots, trying again and again to return.

This small collection was carved and printed from fresh American chestnut wood from a tree growing here in Needham. The collection includes hand-carved spoons and tree ring prints, each one made slowly in my shop from a tree with an extraordinary story.

Because this wood is so rare, this is a very small one-time collection. When these pieces are gone, they’re gone.

All proceeds from the American Chestnut: Ghost Tree Collection will be donated to The American Chestnut Foundation and Needham Community Farm.