Blue Ridge Country March/April 2022 - 28

The North Carolina-based American Chestnut
Foundation is dedicated to restoring the oncemighty
chestnut tree, like the old specimen
shown here in Great Smoky Mountains
National Park.
vironmental education, community development,
and an emphasis on culture,
heritage and broader outreach.
Specifically, the school welcomes
over 3,000 students per year who learn
about and participate in environmental
lessons and projects in the surrounding
woodlands. The community program includes
farm-fresh breakfasts and lunches
for children. And the Farm Institute program
offers no-cost workshops, organic
seeds and supplies to assist over 80 participants
per year with traditional and
sustainable farming practices.
There are 26 buildings constructed by
local folks using rock and wood from the
area at this National Register of Historic
Places campus. For the public, lodging
and food as well as meeting spaces are
available for an immersive visit to this
pristine forested location with a mountain
history that runs generations deep.
pinemountainsettlementschool.com
AppHarvest Greenhouse. Agriculture
in Kentucky has embraced technology,
infrastructure and clean, efficient growing
practices in a new 60-acre greenhouse
complex-the largest in the country.
Rows and rows of hydroponic tanks
with tomato vines supported upward
to the glass ceiling fill this 2.8-millionsquare-foot
facility.
A combination of LED (40% more efficient
than traditional bulbs; and, the
largest installation in the world) with
HPS lighting creates the perfect spectrum
(and temperature options) for growing.
This system requires 90% less
water,
which is gathered from rain and contained
in a closed-loop recycled system.
No herbicides are used; and the crop
yields are 30 times higher per square foot
than outdoor tomato fields.
For the labor force, this climate-controlled
environment ameliorates the need
for seasonal moves, dangerous chemical
exposure and the back-breaking " stoop "
to harvest. Workers have year-round employment
at competitive wages-with
benefits. This visionary model of greenhouse
agriculture is already expanding in
eastern Kentucky with a comparably sized
28 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
structure for more tomatoes near Richmond
and a fifteen-acre facility to grow
fresh greens in Berea. appharvest.com
NORTH CAROLINA
THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT FOUNDATION
Dedicated to the broad vision of " a robust
eastern forest restored to its splendor, "
this Asheville-based nonprofit is laser
focused on a single tree species-the
American chestnut. These trees produce
superior food for wildlife and livestock
as well as humans who traditionally harvested
the sweet fruits as a cash crop in
rural areas. Additionally, the straightgrained,
rot-resistant wood was historically
used in construction, furniture,
crafts and even musical instruments.
This mighty denizen once occupied
more than 200 million acres from Maine
to Alabama. An estimated four billion
trees thrived for centuries until a fungal
blight all but decimated the species
during the first half of the 20th century.
There is, however, hope for this tree.
Through advanced biotechnology and
traditional breeding, this organization is
well on the way to biodiverse restoration
of one of " the largest, tallest and fastestgrowing
trees in our forests. "
The foundation has developed blightresistant
varieties, and partners with
groups like the Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians to return this native tree species
to the land. Their work is grounded in
science, watered with patience and nourished
with optimism for a future that includes
the magnificent American chestnut
tree. acf.org
e-bikes. There's a growing " movement "
in the Asheville area-and it's
quiet and clean. E-bikes. While cycling
is a popular recreational pastime along
COURTESY OF GSMNP LIBRARY
http://www.pinemountainsettlementschool.com http://www.appharvest.com http://www.acf.org http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Blue Ridge Country March/April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country March/April 2022
