4 months ago
BRADLEY, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- An organization in Bangor did its part Saturday to help save the American chestnut tree.
The Maine chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation planted two trees this morning at the Leonard's Mills Logging Museum in Bradley. A spokesman for the foundation says there used to be a lot of chestnut trees in the state, but a fungal blight almost wiped them out in the early 1900s. About 250 trees have survived in Maine and they continue to produce seed. Glen Rae, who is board chair for the American Chestnut Foundation, says the two trees planted at Leonard's Mills should start doing that within the decade. He added that the early 20th century blight dealt a huge blow to the state's ecosystem, as so much wildlife depends on chestnuts for survival. "It's wildly sought after by the turkey, the deer, the bear," Rae said, "From the wildlife point of view, this is a very important tree and also because it's a nut, it comes down in the fall and will stay on the ground over the winter. It won't decay, it will stay viable though the entire winter and under the snow cover." The two trees that were planted were donated by a member of the American Chestnut Foundation. Rae says that there is no exact time frame for when they'll reach full growth but he added that some trees planted by the foundation have grown to as high as 30 feet in 10 years.
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