The American chestnut is a large deciduous tree of the beech family native to eastern North America. The American chestnut was one of the most important forest trees throughout its range and was considered the finest chestnut tree in the world.
However, the species was devastated by chestnut blight, a fungal disease that came from chestnut trees introduced from East Asia. It is estimated that between 3 and 4 billion American chestnut trees were destroyed in the first half of the 20th century by blight after its initial discovery in 1904. Very few mature specimens of the tree exist within its historical range, although many small shoots of the former live trees remain. There are hundreds of large American chestnuts outside its historical range, some in areas where less virulent strains of the pathogen are more common, such as the 600 to 800 large trees in Northern Michigan. The species is listed as endangered in the United States and Canada.
Chinese chestnut trees have been found to have the highest resistance/immunity to chestnut blight, therefore there are currently programs to revive the American chestnut tree population by cross-breeding the blight-resistant Chinese chestnut with the American chestnut tree, so that the blight-resistant genes from Chinese chestnut may protect and restore the American chestnut population back to its original status as a dominant species in American forests.
The American Chestnut is one of the main trees used in the lumber trade both in the US and around the world. It is naturally rot-resistant, straight-grained, and formerly plentiful, American chestnut is used for a wide variety of purposes, including home construction, cabinetry, furniture, utility poles, railroad ties, and musical instruments. Not to mention the fruit the tree produces which can be cooked and eaten. Many argue over whether or not eating chestnuts is actually worth one’s time, but from personal experience I’d say it’s more than worth the time to cook!
-Jake King