The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was once a towering, dominant tree across forests of the eastern United States, but by the 1950s it had been nearly wiped out through the work of two introduced pathogens. Chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) and phytophthora root rot (Phytophthora cinnamomi) began causing stunted growth and mortality in chestnut populations, transforming this iconic canopy species into what is now mostly a shrub-like, early successional species. Efforts to restore the American chestnut are ongoing, with researchers from Clemson University, Virginia Tech, and the American Chestnut Foundation working together to accelerate its recovery using advanced genomic tools to create disease resistance. Check out the article to learn more about their efforts:
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