"In prose as strong and quietly beautiful as the American chestnut itself, Susan Freinkel profiles the silent catastrophe of a near-extinction and the impassioned struggle to bring a species back from the brink. Freinkel is a rare hybrid: equally fluid and in command as a science writer and a chronicler of historical events, and graced with the poise and skill to seamlessly graft these talents together. A perfect book."—Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Spook "A spellbinding, heart wrenching, and uplifting account of the American chestnut that asks the vastly important question: Have we learned enough, and do we care enough, to begin healing some of the wounds we've inflicted on the natural world?"—Scott Weidensaul, author of Return to Wild America and Mountains of the Heart "This is a beautifully written account of the passing of one of the botanical wonders of the North American landscape, the American chestnut tree, which was nearly extirpated by a plague that entered the ecosystem and swept these great trees away. Freinkel, a gifted writer whose research is impeccable and whose reporting is topnotch, tells of the impassioned work of scientists over the past century and up to today, trying to bring the American chestnut back from the brink of extinction. Only a person in love with trees could have written this lovely book."—Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone and The Wild Trees "Graceful, provocative, and inspiring. Thoreau would be proud."—Alan Burdick, author of Out of Eden, a 2005 National Book Award finalist "In this beautifully written volume, Susan Freinkel ably describes the marriage of science and passion that is being brought to bear to save this majestic American tree from extinction. The people whose ancestors lived among chestnut trees and their places come alive for the reader, as does the appearance and spread of the blight and the heroes who are struggling with it today. The book concludes with a tantalizing vision of chestnuts in the forests again—a thought of making the world right where it has gone wrong."—Peter H. Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden

Before 1910 the American chestnut was one of the most common trees in the eastern United States. Although historical evidence suggests the natural distribution of the American chestnut extended across more than four hundred thousand square miles of territory—an area stretching from eastern Maine to southeast Louisiana—stands of the trees could also be found in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington State, and Oregon. An important natural resource, chestnut wood was preferred for woodworking, fencing, and building construction, as it was rot resistant and straight grained. The hearty and delicious nuts also fed wildlife, people, and livestock. Ironically, the tree that most piqued the emotions of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Americans has virtually disappeared from the eastern United States. After a blight fungus was introduced into the United States during the late nineteenth century, the American chestnut became functionally extinct. Although the virtual eradication of the species caused one of the greatest ecological catastrophes since the last ice age, considerable folklore about the American chestnut remains. Some of the tree’s history dates to the very founding of our country, making the story of the American chestnut an integral part of American cultural and environmental history. The American Chestnut tells the story of the American chestnut from Native American prehistory through the Civil War and the Great Depression. Davis documents the tree’s impact on nineteenth-and early twentieth-century American life, including the decorative and culinary arts. While he pays much attention to the importation of chestnut blight and the tree’s decline as a dominant species, the author also evaluates efforts to restore the American chestnut to its former place in the eastern deciduous forest, including modern attempts to genetically modify the species.

Of four billion trees that once dominated the Eastern Forest, only an isolated few survived the early 20th century Chestnut Blight. Through back-crossbreeding The American Chestnut Foundation is giving the tree another chance. "Mighty Giants" tells the Big Story in the words of over 25 contributors from Henry Ward Beecher, Henry David Thoreau, newspaper journalists, and Foxfire interviewees, to Nobel Laureates Jimmy Carter and Norman Borlaug, chestnut scientists, and Barbara Kingsolver (from "Prodigal Summer"). Profusely illustrated with photographs both historic and modern, maps, charts, paintings and sketches. Full color throughout. Indexed.

"The story of the near-extinction and recovery of the American Chestnut tree."--

The American chestnut was one of America's most common, valued, and beloved trees—a "perfect tree" that ruled the forests from Georgia to Maine. But in the early twentieth century, an exotic plague swept through the chestnut forests with the force of a wildfire. Within forty years, the blight had killed close to four billion trees and left the species teetering on the brink of extinction. It was one of the worst ecological blows to North America since the Ice Age—and one most experts considered beyond repair. In American Chestnut, Susan Freinkel tells the dramatic story of the stubborn optimists who refused to let this cultural icon go. In a compelling weave of history, science, and personal observation, she relates their quest to save the tree through methods that ranged from classical plant breeding to cutting-edge gene technology. But the heart of her story is the cast of unconventional characters who have fought for the tree for a century, undeterred by setbacks or skeptics, and fueled by their dreams of restored forests and their powerful affinity for a fellow species.

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Max comes a heartwarming, middle grade adventure story about a rescue dog, Chestnut, who befriends a girl trying to save her family's Christmas tree farm in North Carolina. Chestnut is a dog without a family. After being abandoned in the wild, Chestnut is wandering the North Carolina countryside trying to survive. When twelve-year-old Meg stumbles upon him on the outskirts of her family's Christmas tree farm, she just knows that they're meant to be together forever. The only problem? The farm is on the brink of closing down, and her family can't afford a pet. Meg knows she has what it takes to save the business and take care of Chestnut--she'll just need to keep him a secret until then. Will Meg and Chestnut get their Christmas miracle?

Beyond the Chestnut Trees, is a haunting and deeply personal memoir by Maria Bauer, who escaped Hitler’s invasion of Prague. After 40 years in exile, Bauer makes an unforgettable journey back to her homeland, searching for lost friends and lost loves, and finds the spirit of her beloved city forever changed. Through flashbacks, Bauer weaves the tale of her idyllic childhood, where she spent her summers at her family castle, with her harrowing flight through Europe on the last train leaving Nazi-occupied France. She paints a stirring picture of Prague, wistfully recalling the magical and mystical city of her youth. “I didn’t want to write about Prague’s sufferings under two occupations nor about its heroes and martyrs,” Bauer said. “Many books and movies have recorded them for posterity. But there is more to the story of a city than historical upheavals. Each city has its inner life; and Prague, in the era between the two world wars, had its unique character and a mysterious atmosphere that deeply affected those who grew up amidst its old stones.” This updated edition of Beyond the Chestnut Trees includes a foreword by critically-acclaimed author, Gail Godwin, as well as dozens of compelling photographs from Bauer’s family albums that powerfully reinvigorate her intimate memoir. With the release of this new digital edition, Bauer hopes that, “perhaps, the events that I have described might once again feel more immediate and intimate to my great grandchildren and their generation – and that our tragic and healing experiences will not be forgotten, but will continue to live on in their memories.”