Transcript Chestnut Importance PowerPoint

The Importance of the American
Chestnut
Student Objectives
Thursday, April 7, 2016
After today’s lesson, you will be able to:
• Gain an understanding of the ecological
importance of the American chestnut tree
and;
• Realize the significance of the loss of the
American chestnut tree population.
Warm-Up
• On average, an American Chestnut tree
produced 6,000 nuts. On average, 100 nuts
weighed 10 pounds.
– What do you predict that the nuts were used
for?
– If Carroll County had 10,000 trees, how many
pounds of nuts were produced annually?
Today’s Activities
• Charlie Chestnut webquest
• BCR about the importance of this
massive tree
Historical Significance
• “…The most valuable and
usable tree that ever grew in
the Eastern United States.”
– But why was it so valuable??
• Click, Navigate, Read and
LEARN!
• Using the following webpage
to record ways that support the
idea that the American Chestnut
was so valuable.
http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/chestnut/
Ecological Importance
• Wildlife depended on the abundant crop of
chestnuts (birds, bears, squirrels)
• Many species of insects fed on the leaves,
flowers, and nuts
• Livestock, particularly pigs, used the nuts
as a source of fat
• Humans used as a cash crop, especially
around the holidays
– Roasted and eaten
Economic Importance
• Throughout much of the range chestnut had the
most timber volume of any species
– Half the standing timber volume of CT
• Was the major source of tannin for leather
production (6-11 % tannin content which
conditions the leather)
• Chestnuts (the actual nuts)
“From cradle to casket…”
The Chestnut was widely used for furniture
• Posts & railroad ties
• Telephone poles (65 feet)
• Construction
• Fuel
• Fine furniture & musical
instruments
The Range of the Chestnut
(Where you are, is where they WERE!!)
• Maine to Georgia and west
to Ohio and Tennessee
• Central Appalachian ridge
tops appeared snowcapped in summer due to
dense crowding of
American Chestnuts’
creamy-white flowers
http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/chestnut/
Sum it all up
1. Name three important uses of
the American Chestnut.
2. What happened to the
American Chestnut?