Fall is a fine time to look in the forest for the remnants of one of America´s great forest trees- American chestnut (Castanea dentata). In the fall the chestnut leaves turn bright yellow, lighting up the forest understory in those places where chestnut seedlings continue to sprout from the stumps of old chestnuts.
The American chestnut was once called the “Redwood of the East” before it was laid low by the non-native chestnut blight fungus. It has been just over 100 years since the blight arrived in New York City- presumably on imported Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollisssima) plants. The blight ultimately killed 3.5 billion American trees.
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