In Mason County, West Virginia, a small grove of American chestnut trees has become the unlikely focal point of opposition to a sprawling data center campus. UK-based Nscale's Monarch Compute Campus, whose clients reportedly include Anthropic, Nvidia and Microsoft, is planned for 2,250 acres that include the former Clements State Nursery. The trees are remnants of a species that was once common across the eastern United States but was nearly wiped out by blight in the early 20th century.
Conservationists fear the grove could be destroyed as construction moves forward. Social media posts, amplified by a local chestnut orchard, claimed the trees would be bulldozed after November 1, though the American Chestnut Foundation has described the grove's future as unclear. The foundation said state officials assured it that the trees would remain and be cared for, but it also noted that the arrangement was not guaranteed.
Local sentiment appears to have cooled since the project was first announced with fanfare. In 2023, Governor Jim Justice celebrated a multi-billion-dollar deal involving Fidelis New Energy, and the county development authority said residents were elated. After Nscale acquired the campus developer in March, construction brought more tangible problems: September storms reportedly caused flooding when runoff from the site breached fencing, and West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection ordered Nscale to repair its stormwater controls. Nscale said it would pay for damage and has tried to buy out homeowners, but some residents are refusing to leave.
The two sources are both from 404 Media, but the first was inaccessible, so there were no conflicting claims to compare. This article is based on the second source's reporting.