Article Review: “For the First Time in Decades, Hikers Can Walk in Forests of Mature, Wild American Chestnuts” Article by By Eric Wallace

 

Eric Wallace’s Article: “For the First Time in Decades, Hikers Can Walk in Forests of Mature, Wild American Chestnuts”, published in the July 24, 2025, Garden & Gun: Article Link

Eric Wallace’s article is a well-written and inspiring piece that effectively highlights a significant ecological achievement—the partial restoration of the American chestnut. It balances historical context, scientific detail, and emotional appeal.

For the first time in nearly a century, hikers can once again walk through mature forests of wild American chestnut trees, thanks to long-term conservation efforts. Once known as the “redwood of the East,” the American chestnut dominated forests from Mississippi to Maine, offering durable wood and abundant nuts. However, a devastating fungal blight introduced in the early 1900s wiped out nearly all mature trees within a few decades, rendering the species functionally extinct.

In response, the American Chestnut Foundation (ACF) and its partners spent decades developing blight-resistant hybrids by crossbreeding American chestnuts with Asian varieties and then backcrossing to retain the original tree’s genetics. These efforts are now bearing fruit—literally and figuratively—with sites like Lesesne State Forest in Virginia hosting 60-year-old, 70-foot-tall chestnut trees that are once again producing nuts.

Today, visitors can hike through several restored chestnut groves across Virginia, including Matthews State Forest, Sky Meadows State Park, and Mountain Lake Wilderness. The trails range from two to four miles and offer a rare opportunity to witness the rebirth of a species that once seemed lost. This resurgence of the American chestnut is more than a conservation victory—it’s a hopeful sign that damaged ecosystems can be healed with persistence and science.