The American Chestnut

SurfaTech Corporation is on a mission to help bring the American Chestnut Tree back to the USA.

THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT

The American Chestnut (Castanea Dentata) was one of the most dominant trees in the eastern United States for an estimated 40 million years. This magnificent tree populated the forests up and down the east coast and provided wood, shelter and was a food source to animals and people alike. The nuts from the American Chestnut were so popular that they were immortalized by Nat King Cole in the Christmas Classic “Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire”. Unfortunately, Chestnut Blight (Cryphonectria parasotica) appeared in the United States around 1900 and killed the entire American Chestnut population in less than 40 years.

Our Mission to HELP SAVE THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT

In 2008, SurfaTech Corporation undertook a program to attempt to grow chestnut trees within the original area in which they once dominated. Two trees were purchased, planted, and nuts harvested in Dacula Georgia. Over the years, the growing process was studied, perfected, and the yield went from 10 trees in the first year to 80+ in 2020. Several locations across the East Coast were selected for this planting process including: Georgia (Dacula, Eatonton, Sandy Springs, Monroe), Tennessee (South Pittsburg) and New York (Albany).  As a result, we expect the trees to continue to produce fertile nuts at this level for many years to come. To date we have planted over 200 trees.  We are gearing up for another couple plants this Fall.

In 2021 SurfaTech planted 50 saplings in John Ripley Forbes Tree Forest Preserve in Sandy Springs GA (a suburb of Atlanta). This was our single largest planting and our first planting within an urban preserve. This has been a very rewarding program that we are excited to grow.