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How did chestnut blight change forests in eastern North America?

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ecological disturbance caused by forest fire — ecological disturbance Aerial view of the remains of trees on a hillside after a forest fire.

The introduction of chestnut blight, a fungal disease caused by Cryphonectria parasitica, represents one of the most profound ecological disturbances in the history of eastern North American forests.1

First observed in 1904, the blight decimated the American chestnut, which was previously a dominant or codominant species in extensive deciduous forests, particularly throughout the southern Appalachians. The loss of an estimated four billion trees fundamentally altered forest structures and had severe economic consequences for the lumber and nut industries.213

Beyond the structural change, the disappearance of the American chestnut removed a critical source of mast—a primary food supply for indigenous wildlife, such as wild turkeys. Today, the species is largely eliminated as a mature tree, surviving primarily as short-lived sprouts emerging from the root systems of long-fallen giants. Because the fungus persists in other hosts and spreads via wind and rain, the blight continues to prevent the American chestnut from regaining its former ecological role.123