...for discerning weeders June, 2012
AMERICAN CHESTNUT Inside this issue:
I Hereby
2
Resolve Coming Events 3 Resolutions
4
Walk on the
4
Wild Side In Our Yards
5
Christmas
6
Party Attract Wildlife
7
Weed of the
8
Month Book Review
9
Puzzle
9
Last Word
10
DON’T FORGET! You have to log your hours onto the VMS system!
Many of us will never have to deal with the shedding leaves, spiny nut pods, or catkins of the American chestnut. In fact, many of us will not see a mature American chestnut tree unless we travel to the very few locations that still have these trees.
By M. Stewart
with the blight and developed a strong resistance, the American chestnut had A native to our continent, Castanea dentata, is little rea large, deciduous tree of the beech family. At sistance. The airborne bark fungus spread 50 one time, this fast growing tree ranged from miles in one year and in a few decades girdled Maine and southern Ontario to Mississippi, and and killed up to three billion American chestnut from the Atlantic coast to the Appalachian trees. Mountains and the Ohio Valley. Mature height up to 100 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter—it New shoots often sprout from the roots when was an impressive tree. the main stem dies, so the species has not yet become extinct. However, the stump sprouts The nuts of this majestic tree were an important rarely reach more than 20 feet in height before economic resource. They are edible raw or blight infection returns. roasted (think on an open fire). The wood is straight-grained, strong, easy to saw and split, Thankfully there are several organizations that and it lacks the radial end grain are attempting to breed found on most other hardblight-resistant chestnut woods. The tree was particulartrees. One of which is the ly valuable commercially since American Chestnut Coit grew at a faster rate than operators Foundation, oaks. Since the wood is rich in which breeds surviving alltannins it is highly resistant to American chestnuts, which decay and therefore used for a have shown some native variety of purposes, including resistance to blight and the furniture, split-rail fences, shingles, home con- American Chestnut Foundation which is backstruction, flooring, piers, plywood, paper pulp, crossing blight-resistant Chinese chestnut into and telephone poles. It was also an important American chestnut. food source for wildlife. Backcrossed trees were first planted back into The total number of chestnut trees in eastern the forest for testing in 2009. In 2005, a hybrid North America was estimated at over three bil- tree with mostly American genes was planted lion, and 25% of the trees in the Appalachian on the lawn of the White House. A tree planted Mountains were American chestnut. in 2005 in the tree library outside the USDA building is still very healthy and contains 98% In 1904, Cryphonectria parasitica, or Asian American chestnut DNA. bark fungus, was accidentally introduced into North America on imported Asiatic chestnut Hopefully, this work will continue and we’ll trees. While Chinese chestnut evolved along once again enjoy this majestic tree. 1