Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) After being wiped out by blight in the early 1900s, the American chestnut is making a comeback at WVU’s Davis College.
According to former professor Mark Double, the American chestnut used to be one of the most common and important trees in Appalachia, used for everything from structures and furniture to food for livestock and wildlife.
Thanks to Double and research assistant Amy Metheny, as well as support from other researchers, volunteers, and the community, the restoration project has grown into a statewide effort to breed blight-resistant trees that can thrive on their own in West Virginia’s forests.
To learn more about the project and how you can help as a citizen scientist, visit davis.wvu.edu or the American Chestnut Foundation’s website, tacf.org.
