Most of us weren’t around to remember the excitement when each fall our native Ozark chinquapin trees produced their tasty nuts. These impressive giants grew 2-3 feet in diameter, 65 feet tall, and produced reliable, super nutritious food for our forest animals. It was 1957 when the chestnut blight arrived in Northwest Arkansas, changing all that.
Most of these noteworthy trees succumbed to the chestnut blight fungus. Today, when we find Ozark chinquapins in our woods, most are bushlike, and do not produce seed. It is, however, difficult to wipe out an entire species, and healthy seed-producing Ozark chinquapins have been found in Arkansas and several other states.
The Ozark Chinquapin Foundation (OCF), a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization, has gathered seeds and pollen from these specimens and established healthy plots of trees that boast excellent genetics. Seeds produced from these special trees are now so blight resistant that they have been patented. Members of the OCF receive this high-quality seed.
The OCF partners with numerous entities in several states to further the mission of restoring the Ozark chinquapin to its native range. The Eureka Springs, Arkansas Parks and Recreation Department has become the latest partner with the OCF and is scheduling planting Ozark chinquapin seeds at Lake Leatherwood.
Juanita Drought, manager of Lake Leatherwood City Park, explains why she is so excited about this important project.
“Just think about the opportunity that has landed in our lap. The state champion Ozark chinquapin (the largest) resides right here in Eureka Springs. That’s proof that this area was and still is a great place for these trees.
“What’s exciting is that by planting blight resistant Ozark chinquapins back in our home area, we, all of us who do it, will become part of history…the history of the restoration of an American treasure.
“We at Lake Leatherwood are taking the lead for the Eureka Springs area by planting Ozark chinquapin seeds, and I encourage other local residents to do the same. The ‘Old timers’ say that the Ozark chinquapin nuts were sweet and unbelievably delicious. I look forward to enjoying that morsel of history too.”
