It ’ s hard to overstate the economic , |
flooring , and caskets . Timbermen |
a sea with white combers plowing |
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cultural , and ecological importance |
prized the trees for their ability to be |
across its surface ,” according to |
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the American chestnut once had . |
cut and re-sprout . J . Russell Smith , a |
naturalist Donald Culross Peattie . |
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The trees grew fast , straight , and strong , often reaching heights of more than 100 feet . Their wood was rot resistant and straight-grained , making it suitable for framing , furniture , railroad ties , barrels , fencing , |
well-known explorer and geographer once said , “ By the time a white oak acorn grows a baseball bat , a chestnut stump grows a railroad tie .”
The profusion of flowers from June-blooming chestnuts was “ like
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Honeybees and other pollinators sought out the blossoms .
Chestnuts produced an abundance of extremely nutritious nuts — as many as 6,000 from a single tree . Native peoples ground
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courtesy of the Forest History Society |