Natural Lands — the magazine of Natural Lands fall/winter 2020, issue 157 | Page 17

NATURAL LANDS . FALL / WINTER 2020 15
ON
QC
ME
• site quality : how important is it to chestnut blight resistance ?
• deer browsing : what is the
MI
VT
NH
impact on chestnut survival ?
• prescribed fire : what is the planted chestnut ’ s response ?
• timber harvesting : does
WI
MI
NY
MA
CT
RI
three-stage shelterwood harvesting — a more ecologically sensitive alternative to
PA
NJ
clearcutting — improve chestnut establishment ?
The goal of this collaboration between scientists and foresters is to collect enough data to develop a
IL
IN
OH
WV
VA
MD
DC
DE
blueprint for the successful , largescale reintroduction of the Ameri-
KY
can chestnut to the forests of the eastern U . S .
The loss of this sylvan species
MO
TN
NC
was , by all accounts , an ecological disaster . While not the first such
SC
tragedy caused by humans , the
AR
American chestnut blight coincided with the environmental awakening of the late 19th and early 20th centuries . Now , when concern for our warming planet is at an all-time high , perhaps the time is right for
MS
AL
GA
The natural range of the American chestnut ( Castanea dentata ) extended from Mississippi to southern Ontario and as far northeast as Maine .
the American chestnut to make its comeback .
LA
FL
Mike and Kieu Manes are volunteers with Natural Lands ’ Force of Nature ® program , but also give their time to The American Chestnut Foundation . They plant seedlings , study their health , and harvest nuts to propagate for future generations . The couple monitors chestnut trees planted at four Natural Lands preserves . Stay tuned for a series of hikes this spring to see the chestnuts and learn more from Mike and Kieu .