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. 

The American Chestnut Foundation’s (TACF) mission is to return this iconic tree to its native range and in 2024, the Maine Chapter of TACF (ME-TACF) 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 and public spaces. 

Last summer, 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). 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. 

If you’re interested in learning more about joining the Lake Region Chestnut Restoration Team, join LELT and ME-TACF for a hands-on planting opportunity on Saturday, June 21st from 9am - 11am at Mayberry Hill Preserve in Casco. Interested volunteers should sign up at LELT.org/events or by emailing maggie@lelt.org.