Chestnuts

Up until the early 1900’s, our land, like much of the United States, was dominated by chestnut trees towering up to 100 feet tall with a 14 foot diameter trunk. These behemoths fed the Native American tribe living at the tributary of Whitehall Reservoir as well as thousands of deer and other wildlife. However, after the introduction of the blight in 1904 the population of chestnuts rapidly diminished. At their peak, chestnuts made up about one in every four hardwood trees in the country. Now, except for a few small enclaves, the American chestnut is all but gone, though hope is not lost. The blight does not impact the tree’s root system and American chestnuts still pop up throughout our forests and with the work of scientists, researchers, and hobbyists alike, a blight resistant American chestnut is still a possibility for the future. To assist the land in returning to its natural state, we have re-planted a section of the property with blight-resistant chestnut trees. Chestnut flour is both healthier and less allergenic than modern wheat and can be readily consumed by those unable to eat gluten.