American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree | 
|  | | | Title: | American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree | | Author: | Susan Freinkel | | Publisher: | University of California Press | | Type: | Book / Hardcover | | Publication Date: | 19 November, 2007 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0520247302 / 9780520247307 | | List Price: | $27.50 | | You Save: | $9.35 | | Amazon Price: | $18.15 | |
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Product Description
The American chestnut was one of America's most common, valued, and beloved trees--a "perfect tree" that ruled the forests from Georgia to Maine. But in the early twentieth century, an exotic plague swept through the chestnut forests with the force of a wildfire. Within forty years, the blight had killed close to four billion trees and left the species teetering on the brink of extinction. It was one of the worst ecological blows to North America since the Ice Age--and one most experts considered beyond repair. In American Chestnut, Susan Freinkel tells the dramatic story of the stubborn optimists who refused to let this cultural icon go. In a compelling weave of history, science, and personal observation, she relates their quest to save the tree through methods that ranged from classical plant breeding to cutting-edge gene technology. But the heart of her story is the cast of unconventional characters who have fought for the tree for a century, undeterred by setbacks or skeptics, and fueled by their dreams of restored forests and their powerful affinity for a fellow species.
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Customer Reviews:
• American Chestnut 06 January, 2009
Very nice book. Gives a great history of this long lost tree on which America was built. Very few pictures but they do show this magnificent tree in all it's glory.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A30Q09LRL3LD8O
• "the American Chestnut "is A Good Read 09 February, 2008
I have enjoyed reading this well written book and learning about the scientists and volunteers who are working to restore the species. Science got a little short shrift, which is probably nice for many readers. I learned a lot anyway. Though I did not always agree with the author's opinions, I think this is an important book and may help reduce the general ignorance about the fate of the American Chestnut, something everyone really ought to know about.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3H16EYFPNEMEX
• Perfect Explanation Of The Science For The Lay Reader 23 April, 2008
I have read a number of books in the genre of environmental science or nature that missed the mark for me when it came to explaining the science of the problem. This book was perfect. Some books spend too much time on personalities - again perfect and seemingly balanced. My only minor complaint was that I didn't need so much preaching about why I should care about the chestnut. I do! This book exceeded my expectations and I truly learned something from it.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A374WG97T0NJNL
• American Tragedy With Hope At The Bottom 24 September, 2008
I knew an old hill man in Kentucky who would talk about the chestnuts. The beauty of the forest in the spring, the quality of the wood, how people would raise hogs in the woods, and how all the trees died. For hill people, the chestnut was a tree of life. Its eradication from the forest was like mankind staying, while the Garden of Eden was driven out. He showed us old stumps, their huge outer ring still not rotted, and little sprout trees that were certain to die. This book captures the depth of the tragedy, especially the passages on heroic but doomed efforts to save the trees in the early years of the blight. A Pandora's box of woes empties as the American giants disappear by the millions. There is a theme of arrogance and repeated failure, helpless to stop a biological invader that won. Yet there is also hope. Some chestnuts, even large ones, survive. The surprisingly longstanding breeding programs, strengthened by the science of genetics, offer real hope of a chestnut renaissance. But the new chestnuts will not win. They will harbor and coexist with the organism that nearly wiped out a race of trees. Pandora's box can't be closed, but this book offers a vision of chestnut forests hundreds of years in the future.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2I1WLZ6R7RPXE
• American Chestnut For Everyone 08 February, 2008
I work in plant pathology which sparked my interest in this topic. This book is written by a non-scientist and it is very well researched and full of interesting stories of many of the people affected by, and dedicated to saving the American Chestnut. I would recommend it to anyone interested in US history or biology or just looking for a good read.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1N9GP3SCN9YN8
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