page_title: Chestnut orchard
section_title: Decline of the chestnut orchards
hierarchical_section_title: Chestnut orchard / History / Decline of the chestnut orchards
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a traditional chestnut orchard (selva castaile) in Canton Ticino in Switzerland. Picture was taken in autumn 2017.
context_page_description: A chestnut orchard is an open stand of grafted chestnut trees for fruit production. In this agroforestry system, trees are usually intercropped with cereals, hay or pasture. These orchards are traditional systems in Canton of Ticino and Northern Italy, where they are called “selva castanile”. Similar systems can also be found in the Mediterranean region, for example, in France, Greece, Portugal or Spain.
context_section_description: The neglect of chestnut production was accentuated in the 19th century due to various causes: the replacement of chestnuts as a staple food with maize and potatoes; the improvement of agricultural techniques; the modernisation of communication routes (particularly the railway network) which permitted a better food trade with people living far from the main centers; the emigration of rural people to industrial areas; and the possibility of selling wood and bark from old chestnut trees for the production of tannin, used in the tanning industry.
  Afterwards, the decline worsened due to the two main diseases of the chestnut tree: the Ink disease and the Chestnut blight. The chestnut orchards were gradually abandoned because of the difficulties in maintaining them and their diminished yield. More and more orchards were invaded by other tree species, thus decreasing not only the area planted with chestnuts but also the vitality of the trees, which are unable to withstand the competition of wild individuals.
  
  In addition, even the chestnut as food has suffered a fall in popularity, remaining important only as a base for cakes, as a side dish, for festive occasions or as roasted chestnuts. Today, per capita consumption is around 1 kg per person per year.
caption: Restored chestnut orchard in Valle di Peccia, Canton of Ticino, Switzerland
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