Bronx Zoo plants chestnuts where the blight that nearly wiped them out was first found
Twenty-five young chestnut trees are going into the ground at the Bronx Zoo, the first planted there since the 1904 blight, as part of a citywide effort to bring the species back.
For the first time since the blight of 1904, chestnut trees are going into the ground at the Bronx Zoo. The New York Restoration Project and the Wildlife Conservation Society begin the planting Monday. The Conservation Society considers the American chestnut functionally extinct in the wild.
The species was once the largest and most plentiful tree in the region’s forests. That changed in 1904, when Herman Merkel, a forester at the zoo, spotted trunks scarred with cankers and became the first to record chestnut blight. Over roughly 40 years the disease devastated the species.
Where the new Bronx Zoo chestnut trees are going
Twenty-five saplings, each roughly 2 feet tall, will be split among three sites on zoo grounds: a spot just north of the Tiger Mountain pedestrian path, the Bronx River’s eastern bank, and the riverwalk. Zoo director Craig Piper said more will be planted if these thrive, and he described the project as a way to keep strengthening the forest the zoo cares for.
Jason Smith, who holds a director role at the restoration group, pointed to the tree’s value for its nuts, its lumber and its place in the ecosystem. “This will help preserve our natural heritage,” he said.
NYC’s chestnut grove and the free tree giveaway
Highbridge Park in Upper Manhattan is home to the city’s largest chestnut grove, where the restoration group put in over 200 hybrid trees in 2017. They now stand more than 40 feet tall and bear nuts. Each of the new saplings is a cross between the blight-resistant Asian chestnut and the American variety.
To spread the tree around the five boroughs, the group launched its 1,000 Chestnut Challenge in 2025. Year one put over 80 trees in parks, green spaces and backyards, and this year added more than 350 saplings across the city. Next year’s target is at least 500. Sign-ups for the tree giveaway reopen next year.
Smith called the interest from residents overwhelming. The effort comes as disease and invasive species kill off native ash, beech and hemlock trees across New York.
Quick answers
Where are the chestnut trees at the Bronx Zoo?
At three sites: just north of the Tiger Mountain pedestrian path, on the Bronx River's eastern bank, and by the riverwalk.
Can New Yorkers get a free chestnut tree?
Yes. Sign-ups for the New York Restoration Project's tree giveaway reopen next year.
