it’s December 1983 in the North Carolina
mountains the sun’s gone down a cold
wind makes you button up your coat and
move closer to the campfire my two young
sons and three nephews are circled
around that fire smell in the wood smoke
listening to the fire pop all eyes are
fixed on my dad Howard man he’s a
mountain of a man in his old brown
hunting coat overalls
flannel shirt black log and boots he’s
telling about a way of life that existed
in those mountains for two hundred years
closely tied to this tree the American
chestnut he’s talking with great passion
about what the tree meant to his people
it’s huge sighs the wonderful wood used
for everything from cradles to coffins
and the never failing crops of chestnuts
that nurtured the mountain people their
livestock an abundant wildlife that they
depended on then his voice changed and
in a sad tone he told how in nineteen
and for chestnuts began to die from a
strange disease a blight in just 40
years all four billion American
chestnuts were dead laid in to end four
billion trees would circle the globe one
and a half times as I stood behind that
circle of kids I saw something no one
else saw
a tear sliding down is wrinkled old face
I’d never seen my dad cry before even
when suffering agonizing pain or grief
everything changed for me in that moment
I’d heard chestnut stories all my life
but it hit me this tree wasn’t just the
foundation of an amazing ecosystem
stretching from Maine to Georgia it was
the foundation of a culture a way of
life now gone forever loss of the
chestnut was an American tragedy
described by ecologist as the worst
environmental disaster ever distract our
country but this disaster could help
save our forests it was a warning shot
across the bow foreshadowing the fate of
many more tree species yet to come if we
do nothing as goes the future of
American chestnut so goes the future of
all our forests
my dad’s stories inspired me to become a
forester and for 42 years I walked in
places so beautiful it left you
speechless Yellowstone with all its
wonders the mystery of the Everglades
the southern Appalachian in their autumn
colors but one thing continued to haunt
me for years the gray ghosts the trunks
of the long dead chestnuts still stood
in gaze down at me as I worked in the
woods and I understood the profound
sadness
my dad felt for this tree there’s a
battle raging in our forest with many
tree species lost to insects and
diseases brought in through world trade
chestnut was the first fallen soldier
there are many more
we’ve lost American elm we are losing
Eastern hemlock in ash trees by the
millions with each loss of a species our
forests become less resilient less able
to cope with future threats our modern
urban lifestyle is separating us from
the land we say we love nature but most
of us don’t understand it you may not
even know these terrible losses are
occurring right now we drive through our
forests we look down from our planes we
see lots of green and we think all is
well with the world but understand each
plant and animal living in that forest
is interconnected every life-form plays
a part in keeping that system healthy
like dominoes fallen there is a
cascading negative impact when we lose a
species on many other species including
our own loss of hemlock shade causes
streams to warm trout no longer
reproduce half the medicines in use
today were first derived from plants or
animals half the oxygen required for
life comes from trees scientists believe
we are beginning the greatest extinction
event since the loss of the dinosaurs
but this one is caused by man
we are not separate from nature we have
basic needs that can only be supplied by
forests will allow species to disappear
at our own peril
I do have some good news
chestnut is still beloved in Appalachia
for 35 years dedicated citizen
scientists volunteers have implemented a
breeding plan laid out by a world-famous
plant breeder based on sound science the
techniques involved have been used for
decades to breed disease resistance into
our food crops but they’ve never before
been used on a tree the chestnut were
developing is basically pure American in
how it looks and how it grows but now
genes that convey disease resistance are
incorporated into that tree for the
first time in history science and
technology have advanced to a point
where we have the tools to restore much
that we’re losing we have the wealth as
a nation we have the means but do we
have the will our government will not
restore these trees were losing too many
demands on our Treasury that leaves you
and me to do the job I don’t know how
long I have to spread the word when I
retired in 2007 I was diagnosed with
stage four non-hodgkins lymphoma it was
in my bone marrow and after five months
of awful chemotherapy it went into
remission
it struck me that was what was happening
to my body was similar to what’s
happening in our forest when a disease
enters a system it can be treated and go
away or it can spread like wildfire
spark in other diseases I could not
shake the notion that I was left here
for a reason that’s why I’m up here
telling you about chestnut restoration
instead of sitting there besides you
where I absolutely would be more
comfortable I’m not the hero of the
story you are in just a few years we’ll
begin to put this new chestnut back into
the woods the restoration is not as
simple as just planting trees it’s very
complex but here’s how you could help
you can spread the seeds of this
movement with your social media
technology things an old dinosaur
Forester has no clue how to use I’m
trying I am trying thank God for
grandkids
I can furnish information but I need
your help
to spread this story if we do nothing
this extinction event will gather steam
more species will be lost our children
will inherit the world far far poorer in
natural resources but when we succeed in
restoring chestnut we will have created
a model a template for other citizens
who care to stop this madness and figure
out how to restore our losses by
supporting this cause far greater than
ourselves we began to reconnect our
people to the land whether your
contribution is volunteering for
restoration financial or spreading the
word you’ll look back someday and say
I’m proud I was a part of that in your
lifetime you can make a significant
difference no one has the right to deny
our children the benefits of the natural
world we have enjoyed if we have the
means to stop this destruction we have a
deep obligation to do so
I believe we have the means that’s why
I’m devoting the rest of my day to this
historic mission and being a part of
something never before done in human
history bringing back a tree the
American chestnut once thought lost
my dad would be very proud today thank you
mountains the sun’s gone down a cold
wind makes you button up your coat and
move closer to the campfire my two young
sons and three nephews are circled
around that fire smell in the wood smoke
listening to the fire pop all eyes are
fixed on my dad Howard man he’s a
mountain of a man in his old brown
hunting coat overalls
flannel shirt black log and boots he’s
telling about a way of life that existed
in those mountains for two hundred years
closely tied to this tree the American
chestnut he’s talking with great passion
about what the tree meant to his people
it’s huge sighs the wonderful wood used
for everything from cradles to coffins
and the never failing crops of chestnuts
that nurtured the mountain people their
livestock an abundant wildlife that they
depended on then his voice changed and
in a sad tone he told how in nineteen
and for chestnuts began to die from a
strange disease a blight in just 40
years all four billion American
chestnuts were dead laid in to end four
billion trees would circle the globe one
and a half times as I stood behind that
circle of kids I saw something no one
else saw
a tear sliding down is wrinkled old face
I’d never seen my dad cry before even
when suffering agonizing pain or grief
everything changed for me in that moment
I’d heard chestnut stories all my life
but it hit me this tree wasn’t just the
foundation of an amazing ecosystem
stretching from Maine to Georgia it was
the foundation of a culture a way of
life now gone forever loss of the
chestnut was an American tragedy
described by ecologist as the worst
environmental disaster ever distract our
country but this disaster could help
save our forests it was a warning shot
across the bow foreshadowing the fate of
many more tree species yet to come if we
do nothing as goes the future of
American chestnut so goes the future of
all our forests
my dad’s stories inspired me to become a
forester and for 42 years I walked in
places so beautiful it left you
speechless Yellowstone with all its
wonders the mystery of the Everglades
the southern Appalachian in their autumn
colors but one thing continued to haunt
me for years the gray ghosts the trunks
of the long dead chestnuts still stood
in gaze down at me as I worked in the
woods and I understood the profound
sadness
my dad felt for this tree there’s a
battle raging in our forest with many
tree species lost to insects and
diseases brought in through world trade
chestnut was the first fallen soldier
there are many more
we’ve lost American elm we are losing
Eastern hemlock in ash trees by the
millions with each loss of a species our
forests become less resilient less able
to cope with future threats our modern
urban lifestyle is separating us from
the land we say we love nature but most
of us don’t understand it you may not
even know these terrible losses are
occurring right now we drive through our
forests we look down from our planes we
see lots of green and we think all is
well with the world but understand each
plant and animal living in that forest
is interconnected every life-form plays
a part in keeping that system healthy
like dominoes fallen there is a
cascading negative impact when we lose a
species on many other species including
our own loss of hemlock shade causes
streams to warm trout no longer
reproduce half the medicines in use
today were first derived from plants or
animals half the oxygen required for
life comes from trees scientists believe
we are beginning the greatest extinction
event since the loss of the dinosaurs
but this one is caused by man
we are not separate from nature we have
basic needs that can only be supplied by
forests will allow species to disappear
at our own peril
I do have some good news
chestnut is still beloved in Appalachia
for 35 years dedicated citizen
scientists volunteers have implemented a
breeding plan laid out by a world-famous
plant breeder based on sound science the
techniques involved have been used for
decades to breed disease resistance into
our food crops but they’ve never before
been used on a tree the chestnut were
developing is basically pure American in
how it looks and how it grows but now
genes that convey disease resistance are
incorporated into that tree for the
first time in history science and
technology have advanced to a point
where we have the tools to restore much
that we’re losing we have the wealth as
a nation we have the means but do we
have the will our government will not
restore these trees were losing too many
demands on our Treasury that leaves you
and me to do the job I don’t know how
long I have to spread the word when I
retired in 2007 I was diagnosed with
stage four non-hodgkins lymphoma it was
in my bone marrow and after five months
of awful chemotherapy it went into
remission
it struck me that was what was happening
to my body was similar to what’s
happening in our forest when a disease
enters a system it can be treated and go
away or it can spread like wildfire
spark in other diseases I could not
shake the notion that I was left here
for a reason that’s why I’m up here
telling you about chestnut restoration
instead of sitting there besides you
where I absolutely would be more
comfortable I’m not the hero of the
story you are in just a few years we’ll
begin to put this new chestnut back into
the woods the restoration is not as
simple as just planting trees it’s very
complex but here’s how you could help
you can spread the seeds of this
movement with your social media
technology things an old dinosaur
Forester has no clue how to use I’m
trying I am trying thank God for
grandkids
I can furnish information but I need
your help
to spread this story if we do nothing
this extinction event will gather steam
more species will be lost our children
will inherit the world far far poorer in
natural resources but when we succeed in
restoring chestnut we will have created
a model a template for other citizens
who care to stop this madness and figure
out how to restore our losses by
supporting this cause far greater than
ourselves we began to reconnect our
people to the land whether your
contribution is volunteering for
restoration financial or spreading the
word you’ll look back someday and say
I’m proud I was a part of that in your
lifetime you can make a significant
difference no one has the right to deny
our children the benefits of the natural
world we have enjoyed if we have the
means to stop this destruction we have a
deep obligation to do so
I believe we have the means that’s why
I’m devoting the rest of my day to this
historic mission and being a part of
something never before done in human
history bringing back a tree the
American chestnut once thought lost
my dad would be very proud today thank you
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