Tennessee Hosting Hybrid Chestnuts

Shelton Family w large Chestnut, Tremont Falls TN c1920 (Courtesy of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Library)

There haven’t been many chestnuts roasting over open fires since a fungus wiped out much of the species in the first part of the 1900s. But the U.S. Forest Service is now helping the American Chestnut start an artificial comeback, and many of the trees are growing in Tennessee.

Nearly 3,000 saplings have been planted in three states, and more than half are in Tennessee. Many of the young trees are crossed with a Chinese Chestnut in order to be more blight resistant. The strain is being called the “Restoration Chestnut.”

The Forest Service is spending a million dollars a year trying to revive the hardwoods, which are often 100 feet tall, says USDA undersecretary Harris Sherman.

“We’re hopeful. I mean this is going to take time. This is a longstanding major effort, but the Forest Service believes it’s well worthwhile.”

Sherman envisions a time when the chestnut could again be used for furniture and musical instruments.

The test sites are within National Forests, but the exact locations aren’t being disclosed so the trees can grow undisturbed.

Sherman says the chestnuts are still growing 10 to 12 inches a year.

“Approximately 1,500 trees were planted in Tennessee recently, and to date we’ve had an 80 percent survival rate, which is quite good.”

An American Chestnut in Jackson County, Tenn.

Chestnuts can reach 200 feet tall. The hardwoods were popular for lumber because of their straight, branchless trunks. The nuts themselves are highly sought after, being relatively low in fat and high in vitamin C. At one time they were a food source for wildlife and humans.

While chestnuts are nearly extinct, there are still some in the wild. The American Chestnut Foundation reports the largest are in Wisconsin and Tennessee.