CHESTNUT

 

by Andrew Mack

                           

                                                           

          I

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Imported in the early 1900s for ornamental gardens, Asian Chestnut Trees, resistant to cryphonectica parasitica, but still carrying the pathogen, introduced Chestnut Blight to American Chestnuts causing one of the greatest ecological disasters of the 20th century; by 1940, nearly all Chestnuts had been eradicated.

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          II

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Environmental pressures and habitat resilience: as Chestnuts died and as black bears were hunted they became more dependent on crops, garbage, cities, and towns, increasing conflicts between wildlife and humans. Black bears searching for food were hunted, poached, and culled by the state, to reduce conflict.

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          III

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Hyperphagia:

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In other words,

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to live is to hunger. 

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from Beasts of Chase Copyright © 2024 by Andrew Mack.

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Andrew Mack is a poet, writer, and the driving force behind Loblolly Press, an indie publishing house with a passion for uplifting emerging voices—especially those from marginalized and underrepresented communities in the American South. His latest chapbook, Beasts of Chase, is available now. He lives in Asheville, NC with his husband.