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Once a prominent species in the eastern half of the United States, the American Chestnut at one time accounted for nearly 25 percent of all hardwoods within its natural range from Maine to Georgia. But in the early part of the last century, the American Chestnut was devastated by Chestnut Blight, a fungus that causes large cankers or sores on the bark and eventually kills the tree. Because Chestnut Blight does not kill the roots, a few survivors can still be found in our local forests growing from the stumps and roots of long-dead trees. While these survivors almost always die before they get big enough to produce nuts, a few hardy trees able to resist the blight have survived long enough to reproduce. These trees exhibit some natural resistance to the blight, a trait that will be passed onto trees grown from their nuts.
The nuts of these resistant trees and the freshly disturbed soil found on surface mines provide an opportunity to reestablish stands of American Chestnuts for future generations. This spring, MDE’s Mining Program hosted a tree planting event near Barton, Maryland, as part of a larger effort at restore the American Chestnut to Appalachian forests.
Volunteers from the American Chestnut Foundation, www.acf.org, an organization dedicated to restoring the American Chestnut tree, donated nuts they harvested from the surviving American Chestnut trees. Tri-star Mining Company, a coal mining company in western Maryland, prepared the Garrett County planting site using innovative reclamation techniques designed to promote tree growth. The Forestry Reclamation Approach, is becoming the method of choice for many Appalachian coal mine operators that want to reestablish forests after mining is complete. More information concerning the Forestry Reclamation Approach can be found at www.arri.osmre.gov.
Participants, including Maryland Bureau of Mines, Georges Creek Watershed Association, Allegany County Soil Conservation District, The American Chestnut Foundation, Maryland Coal Mine Industry, and the Land Reclamation Committee planted over 200 nuts on the newly reclaimed area. The twenty-acre site had previously been planted with other hardwood trees including black cherry, red oak, red maple and other native trees, resulting in a mix of trees that would closely resemble the Appalachian forests that existed a century ago.
In a separate effort to spread the resurgence of the species, Vulcan Materials also planted several seeds at their Havre de Grace Quarry in Harford County. The trees were planted in open space designated as buffer area that will not be disturbed in the future. In addition to the American Chestnuts, Vulcan has planted over 6,000 trees in the last two years at Havre de Grace.
MDE volunteers also planted two seeds in Carroll Park, just across the street from our headquarters in Montgomery Park, Baltimore, where we can keep a close eye on them.
Since 1960, through a cost share program with the Bureau of Mines, Maryland coal mine operators have planted nearly 8 million trees and shrubs on 11,000 acres of reclaimed surface coal mines. Overburden storage areas (which contain material removed from the tops of coal seams, such as soil and unmarketable rocks and mineral) and open space areas such as those at Havre de Grace also represent good reforestation areas.
While it is too early to judge the success of the comeback of the American Chestnut, MDE is doing its small part in restoring this symbol of America’s forestland history.
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