BULLETIN 137. 
THE CHESTNUT BARK DISEASE 
A DANGEROUS ENEMY OF WEST VIRGINIA’S 
CHESTNUT TREES. 
The blight or bark disease of chestnut seems to be, in many 
respects, the worst pest that has appeared in the forests of 
this country. It is unusual for a disease to destroy the entire 
growth of a plant in any section, but this blight has been found 
to attack practically every chestnut tree in its line of advance, 
leaving in its wake only dead and dying trees of that species. 
We should be thankful indeed that it has not been found to 
attack other species of our forest trees since that would ser- 
iously complicate matters. 
The chestnut timber is of very great value and importance 
in this state and it would seem well for us to take any reason- 
able and necessary steps for the prevention or control of 
the disease in West Virginia. The average annual cut during 
the past few years is about 118 million feet, and this figure 
does not include poles, cross ties, or posts. 
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The value of the nuts is also great, as food for man, or for 
fattening hogs. Shipments from one railroad station last 
fall aggregated 155,092 pounds. 
We have secured estimates from several lumbermen as to 
the present standing chestnut timber of the state. These esti- 
mates range from more than one billion feet to ten billion feet. 
Taking five billion feet as a reasonable average, and $3.00 per 
In publishing this bulletin on the Chestnut Bark Disease we have drawn 
freely from all available publications on the subject. We are especially indebted 
to Dr, Haven Metcalf of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Mr. A. B. Brooks, 
former State Forester of West Virginia, and Mr. S. B. Detweiler of the Pennsyl- 
vania Chestnut Blight Commission. 
