Recently, a handful of volunteers and SELT staff ventured out to Two Rivers Wildlife Preserve in Epping to check on some very special companions. It was time to see how the American Chestnuts were doing.
Planted several years ago, these trees represented an important ecological conceit: hope. The hope that the American Chestnut, a once-common tree species nearly wiped off the face of the map from the introduction of a non-native blight, can make a stunning comeback. The forestry equivalent of 28-3.
In May of 2021, SELT volunteers planted an array of American chestnut seedlings in a plot of land that was selected due to its site characteristics (e.g., soil composition and light availability) and the fact that a few naturally growing chestnut trees had been found nearby. This project came about through the American Chestnut Foundation, who strove to create observable “micro-forests” in different settings. The purpose: to gather data on ideal planting locations, which would later inform procedures to breed a new generation of chestnuts that could withstand chestnut blight, the fungus that decimated the American Chestnut population.
“Our folks came out today, over four years later, to continue to keep up with the site and make sure everything looks good,” said Chad Fierros, SELT’s Forest and Wildlife Habitat Manager.
In addition to performing a check-up, the crew planted six new seedlings, replacing a few that hadn’t made it, weeded around the chestnut trees, cut back interloping invasive plants, and charted the height of the trees.
The verdict?
“A lot of them were looking really good,” Chad says. “They have a range of growth, with some around 10 feet tall. Although not all of them have grown to that stature, the majority have green leaves and continue to show promise.”
This comeback will not be overnight; indeed, the return of the American Chestnuts represents a long game. As in it will be a couple of decades before the Two Rivers batch begins to – hopefully – reproduce and create more American Chestnuts and slowly reclaim their crown as one of the most important and iconic tree species in the forest.
“The American Chestnuts are an important species of the landscape,” Chad says. “The are a native species of our region and facilitating their return is a way to enact responsible stewardship in support of diverse, resilient forests in the area.”