American chestnut was once one of the best-loved trees in east coast forests, so plentiful and versatile in its uses some considered it a “perfect tree.” The tree was all but wiped out by blight a century ago. Ever since, passionate scientists and volunteers have been working to bring it back. Susan Freinkel tells the story of the chestnut – its loss and hopeful return — and why the fate of this near-extinct tree still matters today.
About the Speaker: Susan Freinkel is a journalist and author who has written on nature and science for a variety of national publications. While working on a story about a disease killing California oaks, she learned about the granddaddy of forest pandemics – the chestnut blight. That led to her first book “American Chestnut: The Life, Death and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree”. She is also the author of “Plastic: A Toxic Love Story.” She lives in San Francisco, where she recently discovered a hybrid chestnut tree four blocks from her home in Golden Gate Park.
Admission is Pay as You Wish! Your donation is greatly appreciated. All proceeds benefit the development of future programming and the preservation of the History Center and its collections. The History Center is home to over 750,000 manuscripts, 100,000 photographs, and 70,000 artifacts. Your donation helps us to preserve and share those resources.
Presentation is via Zoom, and will be recorded and available for 7 days for all registered participants. We will email out a Zoom link the day of the presentation, and email a link to the recording within 48 hours. Note: the Zoom link emailed out the day of the presentation only takes you to the live presentation; the link emailed out the day after will contain the recorded version.
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