JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (October 29, 2021) – Well-known scholar, author and environmental historian Dr. Donald Edward Davis is coming to East Tennessee State University to talk about his new book, “The American Chestnut: An Environmental History.”
Davis will speak at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4, in room 118 of Rogers-Stout Hall. The event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow. Masks will be required at the indoor event, sponsored by the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies and the Department’s Environmental Studies Minor.
“No one knows more about the environmental history of Southern Appalachia and the special role of the chestnut tree than Don Davis,” said Dr. Ron R. Roach, chair of the Department of Appalachian Studies. “Our department is delighted to bring him to campus to speak on this fascinating subject.”
Davis, a former Fulbright fellow, is an independent scholar and author. He has written
or edited seven books, including “Southern United States: An Environmental History.”
His second book, “Where There Are Mountains: An Environmental History of the Southern
Appalachians,” won the prestigious Philip D. Reed Environmental Writing Award. He
has conducted extensive research in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania and Ukraine,
and he was instrumental in establishing the Appalachian-Carpathian International Conference.
Davis was also the founding member of the Georgia Chapter of the American Chestnut
Foundation, serving as president from 2006 to 2008. He is currently employed by the
Harvard Forest as a part-time research scholar.
Before 1910, the American chestnut was one of the most common trees in the eastern
United States and one of the most important, preferred for woodworking, fencing and
building construction. It was likewise a critical food source for wildlife, people
and livestock. But a blight fungus, introduced in the United States during the late
19th century, resulted in the American chestnut becoming functionally extinct. It
stands as one of the greatest ecological catastrophes in recent history, according
to the Department of Appalachian Studies.
Davis’ new book tells the story of the American chestnut from Native American prehistory
through the Civil War and ultimately the Great Depression. Davis documents the tree’s
impact on American life in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including the decorative
and culinary arts. While he writes about the importation of chestnut blight and the
tree’s decline as a dominant species, the author also evaluates efforts to restore
the American chestnut to its former place in the eastern United States, including
modern attempts to genetically modify the species.
For more information, contact the department at 423-439-7995 or SMITHLB1@etsu.edu. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.