Field Guide to Westford

American Chestnut

 

Castanea dentata

In Westford, you will only find this species as a small tree or shrub. Due to the chestnut blight, a destructive fungus, in the early 1900s, the once large and dominant tree has since been nearly wiped out. The shrubs you may find in the forests of Westford are new shoots that have grown from the remaining chestnut roots and stumps (Kershner et. al. 416). 

Leaves:

long (5-9”) with curved pointed tips at the end of the straight, parallel side veins