Forests are not only great places to go and commune with nature. They also play a role in helping to slow climate change through absorbing greenhouse gases.

The American Chestnut tree was once the predominant forest covering across the eastern United States. But the arrival of a deadly red fungus known as the chestnut blight in the early 1900s made this tree all but extinct. Today, it’s thought that there are around one thousand surviving American Chestnut trees remaining in the wild.

This could all change with a new study from Purdue University suggesting the re-introducing the American chestnut would be of great environmental benefit. Field studies showed that this tree grew faster and larger than other native trees such as the black walnut and the northern red oak. This is an important finding as faster growing trees are able to sequester more carbon which, when the tree is harvested and processed, will remain in the hardwood products for many, many decades.

Of course, its re-introduction is dependent on the development of a hybrid that could not only retain the American chestnut tree’s qualities but also be able to withstand the fatal chestnut blight.

The good news is that the American Chestnut Foundation believe they are close to developing such a hybrid and hope to begin planting within the next five years.

Image: Bob MacInnes

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