ABSTRACT
The American chestnut (Castanea dentata; Fagaceae) was one of the most important trees of the eastern forests of temperate North America. The species ranged from Maine to western Tennessee and Mississippi and was commonly the dominant species on upland, well-drained soils. It was one of the tallest of the eastern deciduous trees (towering to over 40 m), with bole diameter at breast height often exceeding 3 m. Chestnut grows rapidly and provided a prized wood, edible chestnuts, and numerous ecosystem services (e.g., wildlife and understory plant shelter; leaves, fl owers, and nuts for food; water runoff control; nutrient capture and cycling).
