MIGHTY GIANTS SURVIVE FIRST YEAR IN THE WOODS
ATLANTA (Sept. 23, 2009) Recent plantings of the nearly extinct American
chestnut tree–a beloved and once key species in the eastern U.S.–have
thrived during their first growing season in national forests, according to
partners involved in the restoration effort. This milestone, jointly achieved by
the U.S. Forest Service, The American Chestnut Foundation and the
University of Tennessee, involved the test planting in 2008 of hundreds of
blight-resistant American chestnut trees in three national forests in North
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. In an effort to protect the seedlings,
project partners are not disclosing the exact locations of the test plots. “The
American chestnut is important because it was once an integral part of the
Appalachian culture providing food for wildlife and contributing to the
diversity of the forest ecosystem,” said Roger Williams, director of Forest
Management for the Southern Region of the U.S. Forest Service. “The
successful plantings we are announcing today are another step in the effort
to re-introduce this keystone species back into its native range.” Once a
dominant species, the American chestnut was virtually wiped out by an exotic
fungus from Asia called the chestnut blight. During the last 26 years, The
American Chestnut Foundation worked with partners to develop a blight-
resistant American chestnut. Traditional backcross-breeding with the blight
resistant Chinese chestnut produced a blight-resistant American chestnut
that is 15/16th pure. “Our partners at the U.S. Forest Service and University
of Tennessee are monitoring blight resistance, growth and survival of the
seedlings to determine whether the chestnut trees will survive and thrive in a
real world setting,” said Bryan Burhans, president and chief executive officer
of The American Chestnut Foundation. The trees, now 4-6 feet tall and
flowering, are doing well after only one year, according to Stacy Clark, a
research forester with the U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Research Station.
“These plantings are small, but represent the first scientific experiment using
blight-resistant trees from the Foundation planted on Forest Service land,”
said Clark, who establishes and monitors the test plantings. “Our results can
be used to predict how blight-resistant American chestnuts will grow when
restoration efforts become larger.” This is “the beginning of restoring an old
friend to eastern North American forests,” said Dr. Scott Schlarbaum,
professor of forest genetics and Tree Improvement Program (TIP) director at
the University of Tennessee. In 2010, 500 more blight-resistant chestnuts will
be planted on national forests in the South. Detailed information about the
test plantings and future aspirations for a large-scale restoration of the
American chestnut species can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/chestnut.
The website also features photos of recent tree growth, video of the
monitoring process and historic information about the American chestnut.
ATLANTA (Sept. 23, 2009) Recent plantings of the nearly extinct American
chestnut tree–a beloved and once key species in the eastern U.S.–have
thrived during their first growing season in national forests, according to
partners involved in the restoration effort. This milestone, jointly achieved by
the U.S. Forest Service, The American Chestnut Foundation and the
University of Tennessee, involved the test planting in 2008 of hundreds of
blight-resistant American chestnut trees in three national forests in North
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. In an effort to protect the seedlings,
project partners are not disclosing the exact locations of the test plots. “The
American chestnut is important because it was once an integral part of the
Appalachian culture providing food for wildlife and contributing to the
diversity of the forest ecosystem,” said Roger Williams, director of Forest
Management for the Southern Region of the U.S. Forest Service. “The
successful plantings we are announcing today are another step in the effort
to re-introduce this keystone species back into its native range.” Once a
dominant species, the American chestnut was virtually wiped out by an exotic
fungus from Asia called the chestnut blight. During the last 26 years, The
American Chestnut Foundation worked with partners to develop a blight-
resistant American chestnut. Traditional backcross-breeding with the blight
resistant Chinese chestnut produced a blight-resistant American chestnut
that is 15/16th pure. “Our partners at the U.S. Forest Service and University
of Tennessee are monitoring blight resistance, growth and survival of the
seedlings to determine whether the chestnut trees will survive and thrive in a
real world setting,” said Bryan Burhans, president and chief executive officer
of The American Chestnut Foundation. The trees, now 4-6 feet tall and
flowering, are doing well after only one year, according to Stacy Clark, a
research forester with the U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Research Station.
“These plantings are small, but represent the first scientific experiment using
blight-resistant trees from the Foundation planted on Forest Service land,”
said Clark, who establishes and monitors the test plantings. “Our results can
be used to predict how blight-resistant American chestnuts will grow when
restoration efforts become larger.” This is “the beginning of restoring an old
friend to eastern North American forests,” said Dr. Scott Schlarbaum,
professor of forest genetics and Tree Improvement Program (TIP) director at
the University of Tennessee. In 2010, 500 more blight-resistant chestnuts will
be planted on national forests in the South. Detailed information about the
test plantings and future aspirations for a large-scale restoration of the
American chestnut species can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/chestnut.
The website also features photos of recent tree growth, video of the
monitoring process and historic information about the American chestnut.
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