Nscale's Monarch Compute Campus faces opposition over chestnut grove, relocation plan
A historic American chestnut grove in Mason County, West Virginia, sits on the site slated for Nscale’s 2,250‑acre Monarch Compute Campus, a project that lists Anthropic, Nvidia and Microsoft among its clients. Residents and conservation groups say bulldozers could arrive after November 1 2026, while Nscale insists it never planned to cut the trees and says it will incorporate them into the…
Key points
- Nscale plans a 2,250‑acre Monarch Compute Campus on the former Clements State Nursery, home to a historic chestnut grove.
- State DEP ordered storm‑water repairs; the governor announced a tree‑relocation plan that experts say could kill the trees.
- Community opposition grew after reports of bulldozers by Nov 1 2026 and after Microsoft withdrew from a separate Nscale data‑center deal.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection ordered Nscale to repair storm‑water failures that caused flooding, and Governor Patrick Morrisey announced a preservation plan to relocate the trees in late 2027. Forest pathologist Amy Metheny warned the move could kill the trees within two to five years. The project has drawn broader scrutiny as data centers across the country face community pushback, with recent reports of Microsoft pulling out of another Nscale campus and legislation slowing similar developments.
The Chestnut Grove Caught in the Middle of A Years-Long Data Center Fight
404media.co · 21 October 2026
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