Forestcast Season 2: Backcross - Episode 3: The Past, Present and Future of American Chestnut

A hundred years ago, the American chestnut was the redwood of the East. It was big, and it was everywhere, especially, in the southern Appalachians. But, today it’s just a shrub and is functionally extinct.

With chestnuts having gone through such a dramatic decline, restoration has been a priority. And, it’s been a restoration effort unlike many others. It’s been one of the most passionate efforts an American tree has ever seen.

In this Episode meet

• Leila Pinchot, Research Ecologist 
• Bethany Baxter, American Chestnut Oral History Project, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 
• James Mullins, American Chestnut Oral History Project, Dickenson County, Virginia 
• Harding Ison, American Chestnut Oral History Project, Letcher County, Kentucky
• Ella Preston, American Chestnut Oral History Project, Letcher County, Kentucky