Governor Morrisey shares plan to relocate historic trees for data center in Mason County
Nscale plans to develop its Monarch Compute Campus on the former Clements State Tree Nursery in Mason County, West Virginia. Governor Patrick Morrisey says rare chestnut and chinquapin trees protected under a preservation plan would be relocated on the property, with Nscale covering the relocation and preservation costs.
Nscale is planning the Monarch Compute Campus, an artificial-intelligence data center project at the former Clements State Tree Nursery in Mason County. The development would require relocating rare chestnut and chinquapin trees on the site.
The trees are protected following an assessment by the American Chestnut Foundation, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture. Gov. Patrick Morrisey said the trees would be moved to another location on the property, while Nscale would pay for their relocation and ongoing preservation. The work is expected to begin late next year.