Scholar Will Speak At ETSU About The American Chestnut

From East Tennessee State University:

October 29, 2021

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Well-known scholar, author and environmental historian Dr. Donald Edward Davis is coming to East Tennessee State University to talk about his new book, “The American Chestnut: An Environmental History.”

Davis will speak at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4, in room 118 of Rogers-Stout Hall. The event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow. Masks will be required at the indoor event, sponsored by the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies and the Department’s Environmental Studies Minor.

“No one knows more about the environmental history of Southern Appalachia and the special role of the chestnut tree than Don Davis,” said Dr. Ron R. Roach, chair of the Department of Appalachian Studies. “Our department is delighted to bring him to campus to speak on this fascinating subject.”

Davis, a former Fulbright fellow, is an independent scholar and author. He has written or edited seven books, including “Southern United States: An Environmental History.” His second book, “Where There Are Mountains: An Environmental History of the Southern Appalachians,” won the prestigious Philip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award. He has conducted extensive research in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania and Ukraine, and he was instrumental in establishing the Appalachian-Carpathian International Conference. Davis was also the founding member of the Georgia Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation, serving as president from 2006 to 2008. He is currently employed by the Harvard Forest as a part-time research scholar.

Before 1910, the American chestnut was one of the most common trees in the eastern United States and one of the most important, preferred for woodworking, fencing and building construction. It was likewise a critical food source for wildlife, people and livestock. But a blight fungus, introduced in the United States during the late 19th century, resulted in the American chestnut becoming functionally extinct. It stands as one of the greatest ecological catastrophes in recent history, according to the Department of Appalachian Studies.

Davis’ new book tells the story of the American chestnut from Native American prehistory through the Civil War and ultimately the Great Depression. Davis documents the tree’s impact on American life in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including the decorative and culinary arts. While he writes about the importation of chestnut blight and the tree’s decline as a dominant species, the author also evaluates efforts to restore the American chestnut to its former place in the eastern United States, including modern attempts to genetically modify the species.

For more information, contact the department at 423-439-7995 or SMITHLB1@etsu.edu. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.

This press release was produced by East Tennessee State University. The views expressed are the author's own.