Champion

American chestnut trees once grew throughout the eastern forests of North America, reaching heights of up to one hundred feet. They supplied food and shelter for people and animals, making them an important part of everyday life. In the early 1900s, disaster changed that relationship when a blight began killing the trees. This book examines the chestnut’s place in American history and the modern scientific efforts to develop trees that can resist the disease. It combines the story of a treasured species with an account of research aimed at bringing it back.