Restoring The American Chestnut Tree

Restoring The American Chestnut Tree. . , The magnificent American chestnut tree (Castanea dentata) once dominated 200 million acres of the eastern United States., Many uses of wood from these trees supported the U.S. economy and our way of life., Chestnuts were a primary food source for wildlife, livestock and people. Roasted chestnuts were sold by street vendors., In the late 1800s Cryphonectria parasitica, the fungal pathogen that causes chestnut blight, arrived from Asia. By 1950 it killed an estimated 4 billion trees., The American Chestnut Foundation uses backcross breeding to produce potentially blight-resistant American chestnuts. Its mission: To return the iconic American chestnut to its native range., This American Chestnut planting was done April 21, 2018 by combined effort of Wauseon Rotary Club, Fulton SWCD, Wauseon Tree Commission, Wauseon Residents, Representatives from the Wauseon School District, and U.S. Forest service.