Inky black sap from sweet chestnut ???

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Had some rings of sweet chestnut on the splitter the other day; as the wedge hit the wood, the exuded sap was inky black... Is this normal or more a sign of some infamous disease? Tree was felled one month ago. There were so signs of such from the bark; this was in the middle of 6 - 20" rings. Thanks.

[David Humphries]

I wonder if it is an Aesculin type substance?

 

Aesculin is in species such as Horse Chestnut, but tbh I'm not sure if it is in Sweet Chestnut.

 

It's a naturally ocuring glucoside.

 

You sometimes see it on the roads (like a dark oily substance) near Chestnut avenues after heavy rain, usually when the chestnuts are dropping.

 

 

 

 

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[doobin]

It's the tanins in the wood reacting with the metal in the wedge and the water in the wood and possibly oxygen in the air. Something like that anyway, it's normal for chestnut. It's the same thing that causes bluey black blade marks on sawn green oak.

 

Sharpen your saw over a chesnut stump and within minutes the filings turn the wood black.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Thanks guys