DWQA Questions › Tag: American Chestnut Tree
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The National Park Service website nps.gov had this to say about the American Chestnut Tree: “By the 1940s the blight had killed an estimated four billion American chestnut trees nationwide. Where before about a third of all trees in the Smoky Mountains were chestnuts, today even single spindly saplings are rare.” The chestnut blight fungus was supposedly introduced from Asia accidently. To give people an idea of just how tragic this massive loss was, here is a brief description found on forestpathology.org of the value of the chestnut tree: “If you could custom design the ideal tree species, you couldn’t come up with a better one than American chestnut. It was a huge, majestic tree, with a very straight stem. The wood was nearly ideal. As George Hepting has written, ‘Not only was baby’s crib likely made of chestnut, but chances were, so was the old man’s coffin.’ One of its good qualities was high durability. The heartwood could be used in situations where decay was a hazard. The tree was common. It made up about 50% of most eastern hardwood forests. It grew fast and would regenerate itself by root sprouts vigorously. The nuts were edible, not only by wildlife but also by humans. It was an important food source for all. ‘The farmer’s hogs were fattened on chestnuts, and, to no small degree, his children were also.’ Chestnut was also prized as a landscape tree.” If indeed the blight did come from Asia, how long had it been in Asia, and what was its true origin? What can Creator tell us about the tragic loss of the American Chestnut?
ClosedNicola asked 1 month ago • 
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