Castanea dentata (American Chestnut)
Plant community: Oak Hickory
Native status: Native to the Eastern United States
Mature size (height & width):
Height: 50 -75 ft
Width: 50-75 ft
Habitat/ Tolerances
Highly disease susceptible (Chestnut Blight)
Hardiness zone: 5-8
Leaf color: Dark green leaves in the summer which turn yellow and yellow brown in the fall
Flower color / bloom time: Has yellow-white blooms which come out in June
Response to Climate Change:
If we aren’t able to reintroduce disease resistant species, the American Chestnut will fall to the Chestnut blight much earlier than it will to climate change.
Potential climate applications:
Despite it’s susceptibility to disease, if we can develop disease resistant species, reintroducing the Chestnut could serve as a highly effective carbon sink. Research has shown the Chestnut tends to grow at extremely fast rates compared to other native tree species. Generally, the faster a tree grows the greater its rate of carbon sequestration. Researchers have developed a new hybrid Chestnut which is about 94% American Chestnut and 6% Chinese Chestnut giving the tree resistance to blight. The team of forestry researchers hopes to reintroduce this hybrid to native forests in an effort to save the tree from extinction and help prevent the climate crisis by decreasing the amount of carbon absorbed by the atmosphere.
Super Carbon Sink
Climate adaption rank: -1
Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610154457.htm
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a387
https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/american-chestnut
