The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo has planted 20 hybrid American chestnut trees to help bring the species back to New York City.
This is the first time that American chestnuts have been planted at the zoo since billions of the trees across North America were eliminated by chestnut blight, primarily between 1904 and the early 1940s, rendering the species functionally extinct in the wild.
The fungal pathogen was first documented in 1904 by Hermann Merkel, the Bronx Zoo's chief forester, before it spread rapidly in North America and killed an estimated nearly 4 billion trees.
Billions of American chestnut trees across North America were eliminated by chestnut blightWCS
"In addition to being one of America’s great zoos, the WCS Bronx Zoo is an iconic green space in New York City," said Craig Piper, director of the Bronx Zoo.
"Throughout our history, we’ve worked to maintain a thriving forest on the zoo campus for the enjoyment of generations of New Yorkers and to provide critical habitat for local wildlife and the animals in our care."
He added: "Our conservation work spans the globe, but also includes a commitment to our historic home and roots in the Bronx.”
The trees were donated to the zoo by the New York Restoration Project in partnership with the American Chestnut Foundation and have been reintroduced to three locations across the site.
American chestnut trees were donated to the Bronx Zoo by the New York Restoration ProjectWCS
They are hybrid American chestnuts, which combine the trees' genetic heritage with blight resistance.
The planting is part of the New York Restoration Project's ongoing effort to help return the American chestnut to its native range.
"Bringing the American chestnut back to New York City is both an act of restoration and an invitation to imagine what our urban landscape can look like in the future," said Lynn Bodnar Kelly, executive director of the New York Restoration Project.
"We’re thrilled to see these trees take root at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, a place with such a deep connection to the history of the chestnut and to conservation."
