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The American chestnut tree once dominated portions of the eastern forests of the United States, particularly in Appalachia, where one out of every four trees was an American chestnut. The biggest tree in the forest, it was known as The Redwood of the East. The American chestnut was prized for its beautiful, rot-resistant wood for furniture and building, and its abundant fall crop of delicious, nutritious nuts fueled ecosystems and economies alike.
The American chestnut began its descent from prominence to obscurity after a fungus arrived in the U.S. aboard a ship, living in the wood of an Asian chestnut tree. Between 1880 and 1950 that fungus spread from tree to tree throughout the range of the American chestnut from Maine to Georgia and westward towards the Mississippi. Over 4 billion American chestnut trees died.
Set at the northernmost end of the American chestnut’s range, Maine had fewer chestnut trees, with bigger gaps between them. The sparser spacing allowed more wild American chestnut trees to escape blight than any other state. Maine’s circumstances left us a legacy of wild, Maine-adapted chestnut genes to collect and propagate for future breeding.
In 2024, the Maine chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF-ME) launched its Chestnuts Across Maine (CAM) project to prepare Maine’s communities to return this ecologically and culturally important native tree to Maine’s forests. The ultimate goal of this project is to build capacity within Maine’s communities to plant and care for American chestnut trees over the next 50 years.
Maine has more wild surviving American chestnut trees than any other state. TACF wants to preserve their genes by keeping them alive in small plantings dispersed across Maine. We are partnering with land trusts and public land managers to grow chestnuts on suitable sites within their preserved acreage. The parents of these trees will be primarily wild type American chestnuts from Maine. While they’ll succumb to blight eventually, many will survive 15-20 years, some decades more.
Each new grove will start with five to ten seedlings planted between mid-May and mid-summer. Every few years a few more trees may be added to create a mixed-aged stand. New additions could include progeny of newly discovered wild trees and, eventually, trees that exhibit enhanced blight tolerance. Over time we expect chestnuts produced by these trees to spread via wildlife and human hands.
Each of the plantings will be tended by a local Chestnut Restoration Team (CRT), composed of volunteers from TACF, the land trust, and other local organizations. The most important role of each CRT will be to learn how to grow American chestnut trees and pass that knowledge along to others. Whether it’s watering thirsty seedlings, monitoring the health of the grove, bringing guests to meet the trees, giving talks, or simply sharing the story of this iconic tree, volunteers are the way we will succeed.
In 2024, Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT) partnered with ME-TACF to plant ten American chestnut seedlings in Peabody-Fitch Woods in Bridgton and Mayberry Hill Preserve in Casco. This year, the two groups are looking for volunteers to form a local Chestnut Restoration Team (CRT).
Chestnut Tree Planting
Saturday, June 21st | 9am, Mayberry Hill Preserve, Casco
Sign up here.
What: A hands-on opportunity to plant American chestnut seedlings as part of The American Chestnut Foundation's "Chestnuts Across Maine" initiative. We will also be sharing more information on how to join the Lake Region 'Chestnut Restoration Team', which will help monitor the seedlings after planting.
The most important role of the CRT will be to learn how to grow American chestnut trees and grow support for restoring the iconic trees to Maine forests. Whether you plant or water thirsty seedlings, monitor the health of the trees, introduce folks to them, visit classrooms, or just share the story of this iconic tree with your neighbors, volunteers will lead the way to restoring chestnuts to our lives.
Sign up with interest at this link.
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