American Chestnut in Talladega National Forest

Arborist David McClain climbs an 85-foot American chestnut (Castanea dentata) in Talladega National Forest. The American chestnut has been decimated by a parasitic fungus introduced into the United States from East Asia in 1904. The discovery of this resistant tree in 2005 has added to the hope of large-scale breeding of resistant trees for repopulation of this once widespread North American tree.