New Hope for Chestnuts and Brook Trout

The loss from disease of the majority of American chestnut trees in the Eastern U.S. in the first half of the twentieth century coincided with a dramatic decline in brook trout. (See “Chestnuts and Brook Trout.”) The trees played a major role in keeping water temperatures low in rivers and streams favored by the native fish. Now breeders and volunteers are only two or three years away from beginning to plant fungus-resistant trees everyone hopes will restore the majestic trees. “The American Chestnut Foundation oversees a tree-breeding program with chapters in 15 Eastern states and is closing in on blight-resistant American chestnuts trees it hopes could revive the species. Unless a new biological invader intervenes, the Bennington, Vt.-based group hopes to begin mass replantings in about a decade in the chestnut’s original range from Maine to Mississippi.” Associated Press writer Rick Callahan.