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American Chestnut Story
The American chestnut was once one of the most important
trees in our eastern hardwood forests. It ranged from Maine to
Georgia, and west to the prairies of Indiana and Illinois. It grew
mixed with other species, often making up 25 percent of the hardwood
forest. In the virgin forests of the Appalachian Mountains, the
ridges were often pure chestnut. Mature trees could be 600 years old
and average 4 to 5 feet in diameter and 80 to 100 feet tall.
Specimens as large as 8 to10 feet in diameter were recorded. 
The American chestnut's annual production
of highly nutritious nuts was extremely reliable. At the turn of the
20th century it was ranked as one of the most important wildlife
plants in the East. Many wildlife species depended extensively on
them. Bear, deer, wild turkey, squirrels, many birds and small
mammals - and once, the huge flocks of passenger pigeons – all waxed
fat for the winter in the chestnut forests.
Eastern rural economies depended on the
nuts as well. Livestock were fattened on them, and the nuts were a
major cash crop for many families in Appalachia. Railroad cars full
were shipped to the big cities for the holidays, because of the high
demand for this finest-flavored of all chestnuts.
The tree was also one of the best for
timber. It grew straight and tall, often branch-free
 for
50 feet. Loggers tell of loading
entire railroad cars with boards cut from just one tree.
Straight-grained, lighter in weight than oak and more easily worked,
it was as rot-resistant as redwood. It was used for virtually
everything – telegraph poles, railroad ties, heavy construction,
shingles, paneling, fine furniture, musical instruments, even pulp
and plywood.
Then the chestnut blight struck. First discovered in 1904 in New York
City, the lethal fungus –
an Asian organism to which our native chestnuts had very little
resistance – spread quickly. By 1950,
except for the shrub-like sprouts the species continually produces
(and which also usually become infected), the American chestnut had
virtually disappeared from eastern forests. In Georgia, trees that
have survived the blight are few and far between. While those that
have survived are truly a beautiful sight to behold, they are
disappearing quickly.
Multiple efforts are underway to bring this
precious tree back. Recent developments in genetics and plant
pathology promise that this magnificent tree will again become part
of our natural heritage. The American Chestnut Foundation (www.acf.org
) was created to coordinate a breeding program for the purpose of
creating blight-resistant American chestnuts for eventual
reforestation. TACF scientists are well on their way to developing a
tree that is American in every way, with blight resistance borrowed
from its Asian cousins. Georgia is one of several states that now
have satellite breeding programs to ensure that blight-resistant
trees will be suited to local environments.
Blight-resistant seeds and seedlings will
not be available to the public for several more years. Meanwhile,
individuals and organizations concerned about issues such as forest
diversity and wildlife preservation are encouraged to plant chestnut
seedlings that are not blight-resistant, for several reasons. First,
planting seedlings is an important way to help preserve the chestnut
genes that we might otherwise lose. It will also help call attention
to the effort to bring back the tree. Also, by planting these
seedlings, individuals and organizations gain knowledge about where
and how to plant and care for chestnuts, in preparation for the
widespread efforts that will be necessary once blight-resistant seeds
and seedlings are available. Finally, it is important to note that if
there are no blighted chestnut trees within a mile of where new
seedlings are planted, blight is not likely to occur in the new trees
for 10 to 20 years (20 to 40 feet of growth). Individual trees that
do become blighted can be treated if the blight is caught and treated
quickly. |
