Editing Chestnut (section)

==== Sun exposure ====
''Castanea'' likes a full sun position.<ref name="delmarvelous" /> An experiment with ''C. dentata'' seedlings in Ohio confirmed the need for sun for optimal growth.<ref name="ohio">[http://abstracts.co.allenpress.com/pweb/esa2003/document/25264 Survival and growth in size and biomass of American Chestnut (''Castanea dentata'') seedlings under various silvicultural regimens in a mixed oak forest ecosystem.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921193704/http://abstracts.co.allenpress.com/pweb/esa2003/document/25264|date=2008-09-21}} By Corinne McCament and Brian McCarthy. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. Paper presented on 6 August 2003 at the ESA 2003 Annual Meeting.</ref> The butt of the tree is sometimes painted with white paint to protect the tree from [[sunburn]] until it has developed enough [[Canopy (forest)|canopy]].<ref name="laren60" />

Wide spacing between the trees encourages low, broad [[crown (botany)|crowns]] with maximum exposure to sunshine to increase fruit production. Where chestnut trees touch, virtually no fruit is produced. Current [[orchard|industrial planting spacings]] can range from 7 x 7 to 20 x {{nowrap|20 m}}. The closer plantings, which are more popular, mean quicker increases in short-term production, but heavy pruning or even tree removal is required later.<ref name="laren60" />