Chestnuts and Brook Trout

The story of the disappearance of the American chestnut tree parallels the decline of native brook trout, in part because the once populous shade trees helped keep water temperatures down in key trout habitat. Maine congressman Ted Koffman writes about it in today’s Bangor Daily News. “Venerable monarch of the forest, the American chestnut was greatly revered by our forefathers. Early American furniture and musical instrument craftsmen found the wood easily worked, rich in color, with fine straight grain. As rot resistant as redwood, durable chestnut shingles and roofs shed rain and snow. Chestnut split-rail fences enclosed livestock.”