"WASHINGTON — In a quiet stretch of western Massachusetts stands a sycamore so old it was around when the Constitution was signed. It’s awe-inspiring, with branches bigger than the entire trunks of most trees.
But it’s also notable because it’s an outlier. It is a tree with a majestic presence that dwarfs the common maples and pines nearby — a living reminder of how much old-growth forest has been lost.
In the eastern United States, that rare sense of awe was once supplied in bulk by the American chestnut.
Its presence stunned: mature trees rose above the hardwood canopy supported by trunks wider than a person is tall. It was a centerpiece of the ecosystem, producing so many chestnuts that it boosted the numbers of turkeys, bears and deer that, in turn, spread the trees’ seeds. American chestnut’s straight grain was useful in furniture and it made fenceposts that encircled farms and shrugged off pests and wear.
There were billions of them at the turn of the 20th century, their abundant fruit moved by railcar to cities for sale on street corners. We still sing about them during the holidays.
And then they started dying."
Michael Phillis reports for the Associated Press April 16, 2026.
