Reintroducing history as the American Chestnut returns

Representatives of Troop 310 recently planted six American Chestnuts

KNOXVILLE, TN (SPECIAL TO WLAF)- The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF), in partnership with various organizations and universities across the nation, including the University of Tennessee, has been making headway in the reintroduction of the functionally extinct American Chestnut (Castanea dentata).

This is partially due to the large-scale usage of the tree, but primarily the blight that affected this species. This disease began to spread in 1904 and devastated the native populations by 1950. The TACF has been in practice of reintroduction efforts since the 1990’s. After a great deal of research, there have been trees grown and planted all across the eastern U.S. This has directly influenced experiences for our local Scouts of east Tennessee and Campbell County. If you would like to learn more about TACF, connect here.

On April 27, representatives of Troop 310 visited Maple Grove Estate. Maple Grove is a beautiful historical property located in west Knoxville that was built in 1799 according to the establishment’s website. This property is available as a wedding venue for the public and owned by the Shankles family. Here is where to learn more.

Here, representatives of Troop 310 planted six American Chestnuts across the property. The coordinates of each tree were then submitted to TCAF for the monitoring of growth rates, production, and a few other scientific metrics to ensure reintroduction efforts are benefiting native populations. The youth in attendance got to learn how to properly plant tree saplings and documenting them for citizen science purposes. They also learned about other native flora on display on the wonderful property, as well as forest management, botany, and various other facets of plant conservation.

Thanks to opportunities provided by citizens such as the Shankles family, the youth of Campbell County are granted the chance to take part in the next generation of conservation as well as other activities that are not normally provided. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-05/23/2025-6AM-PHOTOS SUBMITTED)