Chinkypins are good for all of us
Eureka Springs is home to the state champion tree Ozark Chinquapin, that lives on Onyx Cave Road. This native tree was abundant in this area until blight reached the Ozarks in the late ‘50s, early ‘60s, and within a decade these 65-ft. trees were dead stumps after rotting from the inside out.
Eureka Springs Parks & Recreation commission is on a mission to bring this native species back.
Lake Leatherwood Park Manager Juanita Drought and Assistant Manager Madison Larsin have been safeguarding and nurturing 16 seedlings since November monitoring their taproot development. On February 28, six seedlings were planted, the second planting of this year.
This was a very special event, not just because of trees being planted. Madison gave a thorough history of the tree and its uses before she properly demonstrated how to plant the seed. Juanita walked everybody through a beautiful visualization exercise. Then all participants of our community, including the Parks director and three commissioners, were broken into groups that each planted two seeds.
“Just think about the opportunity that has landed in our lap,” Juanita said. “I love all wild places, and it is in my blood to protect, nurture, and care for them. This project is one that I feel embodies the past, present, and future and will continue to give for generations to come.”
Madison adds, “Picking up the cause was as natural as caring for a family member. I’ve always had a soft spot for plants and how we have to be their voices when possible. So, this project hit so close to home.”
The Parks department has been working in close conjunction with Hobbes State Park, passing information back and forth about how to better care for this dwindling species. The seeds come from The Ozark Chinquapin Foundation, that offers patented blight resistant seeds to their partners. Participants of the event were encouraged to take home three seeds to plant on their own.
Ozark chinquapin’s botanical name is Castanea Ozarkensis, sometimes called the Ozark chestnut. Old timers said the Ozark “Chincapin” produced tasty morsels called chinkypins, a sweet tasting nut. The nuts are high in carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, Vitamin A and Vitamin K.
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft wrote that the Ozarks were once abundant with black bears, wild turkeys, elk, squirrels and deer. Many of these animals fed off the fruit of these trees. Since the Chinquapin tree has vanished, so has a good portion of the wildlife population that depended on it as a food source. To bring back the Chinquapin and its nut, is to bring back the wildlife that depend on it as a food source with nutritional content.
“This tree’s nut blows all other nuts out of the water in terms of nutritional value. Anything from the top of the chain to the bottom of the chain was cycling of this,” Madison said. The nuts feed the squirrels, mice, shrews, voles and chipmunks. And they feed predators like the red fox, grey fox, bobcats, coyotes, hawks and owls. The lumber is very good for construction and very rot-resistant to external elements as long as not blighted.
Blight is a fungus that spreads by spores. It was introduced to the United States in 1900, when chestnut stock with blight arrived at the New York Botanical Garden. In 1904 it was noticed that these trees were dying from the blight.
By 1957 is was spotted in the Ozarks. By the end of the 1960s, this once proud standing tree was reduced to rotting tree stumps. It’s quite possible that this tree once made up 20 percent of the temperate forest west of the Mississippi River. Four billion trees were wiped out from this blight.
According to Madison there are almost 12 billion trees in Arkansas, and this would be the equivalent of Arkansas losing 1/3 of its trees in 60-70 years.
“These are very fast growing,” Madison said. “We cannot put them in pots. Their taproots will grow too fast. They are way too delicate, so they typically won’t make it to the transplanting, to make it into the ground. They want six hours of sun, preferably morning and evening sun. They want to be watered once a week and dry out before being watered again.”
“Let’s get really tight in a circle.” Juanita said. “Our circle represents the Ozark chinquapin seed. Now close your eyes. You have just been placed in six-inch hole. You feel the soil tucking you in and it is now completely dark. Damp, wet sand begins to fill in the remaining space around you. You feel you are being tucked in gently for long winter’s nap by a living parent. You begin to feel heaviness or protection above you as rocks are placed around the grow tube, mulch layer across circumference, leaves placed in growing tube and a final net placed on top of the grow tube, for your protection. Now it is your time to wait… you have obstacles ahead. Growth, resilience and determination to make it.
“When all things align with process your sprout breaks forth from darkness to light. Open your eyes. Take a moment to look around and see the very special place you have made it to. Planting seeds offer rich metaphors: nurturing ideas, sowing intentions and cultivating relationships that highlight care and patience. Seeds embody potential letting go perseverance. Symbolize legacy, personal growth, hope and renewal.”
If interested in planting own blight resistant seeds, see Juanita or Madison at Lake Leatherwood City Park.