The idea of hiking the A.T. to study the American chestnut population began in 1999. Eric Wiese, a graduate student under the tutelage of Dr. Hill Craddock at the University of Tennessee, got permission to hike the A.T. and count the number of American chestnuts along the trail as part of his degree program. Craddock remembers, “ Eric’s proposal quickly developed into a project that promised to provide important information about American chestnut genetic resources. Knowledge of chestnut distribution and abundance and most importantly the locations of blooming American chestnut trees are essential to the restoration of the American chestnut.”

Some of the key findings from this 1999 study:
40,701 American chestnut trees were visible from the Appalachian Trail
No American chestnuts were found along the trail north of the Vermont/Massachusetts state line.
The latitude and high elevation Chestnut trees are found at lower elevations in northern New England.
Evidence of blooming and nut production was centered in Pennsylvania
Population density of American chestnut was highest in the Nantahala Mountains of SW North Carolina.