Many of you have stopped Sky Meadows State Park Rangers in the Historic Area and asked, “what are those white tubes in the field over there?” Glad you asked! In partnership with the American Chestnut Foundation, we are working to preserve the American Chestnut tree.  We have designated a portion of our land adjacent to the Boston Mill Road and Hadow trails as an American Chestnut orchard.

Young Chestnut Trees are being grown in the orchard at Sky Meadows State Park

Did you know that, before 1900, the American Chestnut Tree was the most common tree in forests along the United States’ east coast?  It provided a vital source of food and shelter for native people and animals, as well as settlers and pioneers. Sadly, in the early 1900s, a fungus traced to an import from Asia (coined the Chestnut Blight) appeared in New York state and, by 1950, killed over 4 billion American Chestnut trees in the U.S. As a result, today you’ll find few American Chestnut trees during your hikes at Sky Meadows.

Yet, there is hope. Our curiosity-inducing white tubes demonstrate a new generation of American Chestnut trees planted by American Chestnut Foundation and Sky Meadows volunteers in Spring 2018. The park is actively helping the orchard thrive by installing protective deer fence around the orchard, mowing and maintaining the land, and supporting the work of the American Chestnut Foundation volunteers. With this work, future generations will see a reemergence of the American Chestnut in Sky Meadows’ forests and beyond, thanks to seeds produced in these orchards. In the words of American Chestnut Foundation committee chair member Cathy Mayes, “Our mission is to breed a chestnut tree that is as close as possible to the one we lost.  Sky Meadows was once covered in chestnut trees.  Of the seeds we grow there today, those that are most at home in Sky Meadows will thrive, and their progeny ultimately will provide the same food and shelter that the people of the past Sky Meadows depended on.”
 

Park Stewardship team is currently installing over 2800 feet of deer fencing around the orchard

Our efforts to preserve the American Chestnut Tree are entwined with our mission to preserve the rich natural diversity of the Crooked Run Valley, which continues to face natural threats. Today, another native tree species, the Ash, is threatened. Like the American Chestnut, the Ash trees once numerous on our land are being killed, not by a fungus, but by an invasive bug called the Emerald Ash Borer, another invader from Asia. Today, the Sky Meadows Staff is working with the Virginia Department of Forestry and volunteers to inoculate and protect “seed trees” across the park with the hope that a control can be found for the Emerald Ash Borer.  Like the chestnut orchard trees, these ash trees will provide seed to reestablish ash in our forests. 

Many feel the Ash tree is a lost cause. Will this be the case? When future generations of Sky Meadows or other parks’ visitors ask Rangers, “what are those white tubes,” will Rangers tell the tale of American Chestnut and Ash trees? Let’s not wait to play our role. Help us by volunteering.

Come see the progress of our chestnut orchard. If you are interested in helping with the volunteer efforts of either project, contact the park’s Volunteer Coordinator, Vanessa Lewis, at vanessa.lewis@dcr.virginia.gov, or call the park at (540)592-3556. For more information on the American Chestnut Foundation, visit https://www.acf.org/.

Sky Meadows State Park is less than two miles south of Paris, Va., via U.S. Route 50 to Route 17 South; or seven miles north of I-66, Exit 23 on Route 17 North. The park's main entrance is on State Route 710. Click here for a Google map of the park's location.