OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) – Students at the Fayette Institute of Technology showed off their green thumbs and helped plant chestnut trees.
American chestnut trees have been on the decline for the past 100 years, and the American Chestnut Foundation is working all over Appalachia and beyond to reestablish the tree.
Lewis Cook, a local geologist and retired physician, stopped by the school to teach the students about the chestnut tree, and helped them plant six in a field near the school.
“It’s just a beautiful tree and it’s becoming extinct,” Cook said. “And if we don’t do something to save it now, we’re going to lose it permanently.”
The students will plant roughly 30-50 trees over the next few weeks. The goal is to plant them along with other types of trees to see how they thrive in that specific environment.
