When we study accounts of American chestnut, we routinely hear the same thing: "American chestnut was a dominant tree in eastern North America prior to the introduction of chestnut blight." We also hear this: "One in every four hardwood trees in eastern North America was an American chestnut." Believing both statements to be true, we might imagine an unbroken expanse of chestnut trees in eastern North America. The proverbial squirrel might have been able to travel from Maine to Florida on chestn