Studying American Chestnuts in Own Our Backyard

Did you know that the American chestnut tree is functionally extinct? The culprit? An invasive fungus that killed almost all of the American chestnut trees in the U.S. by 1950, reducing them to stumps.

As part of SCH science teacher Lisa Queeno's unit about invasive species, Upper School Environmental Science students learned about the effect invasive species have on their native counterparts. As part of the process, they assessed the trees on campus. Then, the class picked the spiky Chinese chestnuts from a tree in search of tasty, pollinated fruit. Chestnuts are highly nutritious (containing more protein than acorns!) and valuable to local wildlife. Students had the opportunity to sample some, noting that "they tasted good, like mashed potatoes."

SCH's American chestnut tree orchard, with a diverse species, was planted to restore the native tree. Because of the multitude of white blossoms, our community once called it "winter in July." Want to learn more? Read the plaques near our orchard on the hill near the tennis courts!