The Story of the American Chestnut

A great American Tragedy is how some describe the decimation of the American Chestnut tree that took place early in the 1900s. The Friends of Chrisholm are delighted to announce that Dr. Carolyn Howes Keiffer, Professor of Botany at Miami University Middletown, will speak on this topic on Tuesday, March 3rd, at the Chrisholm Historic Farmstead, MetroParks of Butler County.

Dr. Keiffer is a plant ecologist primarily interested in restoration ecology and forest biodiversity. She will speak on the progress being made to bring back the American chestnut that was eliminated as a canopy tree from the Appalachian region of North America with the introduction of chestnut blight in the early 1900s. Keiffer has done extensive restoration work with The American Chestnut Foundation and her interest in the American chestnut led to the formation of an Ohio Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation, which she currently serves as President. Breeding programs initiated in the 1980s have produced seedling lines that display potential resistance to chestnut blight. Keiffer is also involved in the maintenance and improvement of the urban canopy and has been a member of the Tree City USA program for more than a decade.