American chestnut

The American chestnut is a large deciduous tree native to eastern North America. Chestnut blight, caused by an introduced fungus, killed most mature trees across its range.

Chestnut blight: A disease caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica that killed most mature American chestnut trees. This disease drove the American chestnut’s rapid decline across eastern North America.
Castanea dentata: The scientific name of the American chestnut, a deciduous tree native to eastern North America. This is the species name used in botanical and restoration research.
American Chestnut Foundation: A nonprofit organization founded to restore the American chestnut through breeding, research, and planting. The foundation coordinates major breeding and restoration work for the species.
Chestnut blight in the United States: The epidemic that spread through American chestnut populations in the United States during the early twentieth century. Its rapid spread killed mature trees across the species’ range within decades.
Cryphonectria parasitica: A fungus that infects chestnut trees and causes chestnut blight. This introduced pathogen produces the cankers that girdle and kill American chestnut stems.
Appalachian Mountains: A mountain range extending from eastern Canada through the eastern United States. The American chestnut was abundant in Appalachian forests before blight spread.
Backcross breeding: A breeding method that repeatedly crosses hybrid offspring with one parent to retain that parent’s traits. Breeders use backcrossing to combine blight resistance from Asian chestnuts with American chestnut characteristics.
Forest succession: The gradual change in a forest’s species composition and structure over time. Oak and other trees filled ecological space left by dead American chestnuts.
Hypovirus: A virus that infects fungi and can reduce their growth and ability to cause disease. Hypoviruses can weaken chestnut blight fungus, though they have not restored forests at scale.
Eastern deciduous forest: A broad forest biome of eastern North America dominated by deciduous trees. American chestnut once formed a conspicuous part of this forest biome.

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Eastern North American forestRelated: Its decline removed a major canopy species and a valuable food source for wildlife and people.