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Photo: American chestnut seedlings prepared for school grove plantings, fall 2015. J. Adam Frederick
Prior to 1900, American chestnuts (Castanea dentata) and oaks predominated in over 200 million acres of forest from Maine to Florida and as far west to the Ohio Valley. Within 60 years after the introduction of disease (blight) an estimated 40 billion American chestnuts were wiped out. In this series of lessons, students will identify different species of chestnut trees through observations of physical characteristics and learn about taxonomy. Through an interactive mapping activity using ImageJ software students will describe the impact of blight on the American chestnut population. An individual/group presentation on the impact of invasive species on the environment is the focus of the summative evaluation.
Synthesis of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) biological, ecological, and genetic attributes with application to forest restoration by Douglass F. Jacobs, Harmony J. Dalgleish, C. Dana Nelson. Posted with permission from D.F. Jacobs, 9/2/2015.
A New Generation of American Chestnut Trees May Redefine America's Forest by F. Jabr. Scientific American Vol. 310, Issue 3, Web Exclusives.
American chestnuts rise where other trees failed to make a stand by Leslie Middleton. Bay Journal, October 28, 2015.
A New Generation of American Chestnut Trees May Redefine America's Forest by F. Jabr. Scientific American Vol. 310, Issue 3, Web Exclusives.
Synthesis of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) biological, ecological, and genetic attributes with application to forest restoration by Douglass F. Jacobs, Harmony J. Dalgleish, C. Dana Nelson. Posted with permission from D.F. Jacobs, 9/2/2015.
This activity captures the students' attention, stimulates their thinking, and helps them to access prior knowledge.
Students will:
In this section students are given time to think, plan, investigate, collect and organize information.
Students will:
This performance-based activity helps students to connect all of the pieces of information involved in these lessons.