56-year-old chestnut grove, one of America’s last, at risk from AI data center

In 1904, a fungus known as chestnut blight began to ravage the native chestnut trees in North America. Originating from Japan and China, the fungus targeted the bark of susceptible trees, ultimately causing the death of billions of American chestnut trees across the US. Recently, a 56-year-old grove of approximately 200 blight-resistant American chestnut trees in West Virginia faces potential destruction due to the construction of a large-scale artificial intelligence data center.The trees, planted in the 1970s, represent a valuable genetic resource that could contribute to the restoration of the species.

However, the proposed Monarch Compute Campus, a collaboration between Nscale, Nvidia, and Caterpillar, could put the grove at risk. Spanning over 2,250 acres and generating 8 gigawatts of computing capacity, the project has been dubbed "one of the largest single AI infrastructure investments in US history."While chestnut blight has wiped out an estimated 4 billion American chestnut trees, the surviving stumps can sometimes produce new shoots, though they often succumb to the disease before reaching maturity.

The remaining chestnut groves are scarce, with fewer than 4,300 acres of fruit-producing chestnut trees existing across the continental US in 2023. The West Virginia grove contains around 200 blight-resistant trees, making them an essential genetic resource for future restoration efforts.Researchers and horticulturists have worked to preserve the species through breeding programs and blight-resistant hybrids.

However, mature chestnut groves remain uncommon. The Global Justice Ecology Project reported that the grove is "a vital 'genetics library'" and "the primary seed source to restore the species across West Virginia." The loss of the grove could impact not only the existing trees but also hinder future restoration projects.The Monarch Compute Campus, being developed by Nscale in collaboration with Nvidia and Caterpillar, is a substantial investment in computing infrastructure.

The completed facility will cover more than 2,250 acres and provide 8 gigawatts of computing capacity for AI companies, including Anthropic. The developer has described the project as "one of the largest single AI infrastructure investments in US history." While the scale of the project could complicate the protection of the chestnut grove, the survival of the trees is deemed "irreplaceable" due to their potential contribution to future restoration work.

The future of the chestnut grove hinges on the development plans and the possibility of reconciling conservation efforts with construction.