Ron Bailey on Saving the American Chestnut Tree

In the
early 20th century, chestnut blight fungus introduced from overseas
devastated American chestnuts—the then-dominant trees in eastern
forests stretching from Maine to Mississippi. Crossbreeding and
genetic engineering efforts promise to return the tree to American
forests, but University of Vermont emeritus biologist Bernd
Heinrich declares such efforts a “Trojan horse” and a threat to his
“sacred” naturally evolved nuts. But, as Ron Bailey points out,
it’s likely that only human ingenuity can restore these majestic
trees to their rightful place.

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