American chestnut returns to Bronx Zoo after 120 years; 25 saplings planted in NYC

American chestnut returns to Bronx Zoo after 120 years; 25 saplings planted in NYC

The American chestnut is returning to the Bronx Zoo more than 120 years after blight was first documented there. The zoo and New York Restoration Project planted 25 hybrid saplings as part of a restoration effort. Once abundant across eastern North America, the tree was devastated by disease that killed nearly 4 billion trees.