Lmst

morning forest walk
gold and red leaves on the path
a fallen chestnut

So, attempts to create a blight-resistant #AmericanChestnutTree using wheat genes failed (gee, I wonder why)... However, cross-pollination (by hand) between American and Chinese #ChestnutTrees (the Chinese ones are resistant to blight) worked!!! Sometimes tried-and-true "old fashioned" tech is the best tech!

The fight for a fallen giant: Bringing back the American #chestnut

by N.C. Forest Service | May 3, 2024

"More than a century ago, the American chestnut (#CastaneaDentata) was a common overstory tree across portions of eastern North American forests. These giants thrived on moist, well drained slopes and ridges across the Appalachians, towering more than 100 feet tall with an average diameter at breast height (DBH) of five to eight feet. Their historical range extended into the southeastern deciduous forests of Canada and as far south as Florida.

"According to legend, American chestnut trees were once so abundant in eastern North America that a squirrel could travel the chestnut canopy from Georgia to Maine without ever touching the ground. However, fossil pollen records and early forest inventory records suggest the American chestnut may not have been as dominant a tree species across its entire range as depicted. Early forest inventories conducted by Emma Lucy Braun, a prominent forest ecologist and botanist, suggest the species was of surprisingly limited dominance in many parts across the Appalachians, except for the central and southern ranges.

"With their ability to rapidly sprout from stumps and reach maturity in as little as eight years, the American chestnut likely benefited from intensive logging of the past. This rapid regeneration, coupled with possible allelopathic properties that suppress competing trees, would have allowed them to quickly reclaim their place in the forest canopy following disturbance. This advantage may have been particularly significant in the northern part of their range, likely contributing to the historical accounts describing the American chestnut’s remarkable abundance across the landscape. Nonetheless, American chestnut reigned as a keystone species with immense ecological value. With its strong, rot resistant wood and abundant annual crop of nutrient dense chestnuts, the American chestnut was once an invaluable hardwood for humans and wildlife before the #ChestnutBlight decimated its populations in the early 1900s, leaving a lasting scar on eastern North American forests."

Learn more:
https://blog.ncagr.gov/2024/05/03/the-fight-for-a-fallen-giant-bringing-back-the-american-chestnut/

#SolarPunkSunday #Trees #ChestnutTrees #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees

#DailyHaikuPrompt #chestnut

winter feast
a sweet chestnut held tight
in the squirrel's mouth

#DailyHaikuPrompt #Chestnut

Sitting by the fire
Swapping stories, toasting treats
Another old chestnut

chestnut leaves above
breathe their sweet and timeless tales
of pastoral times

#dailyhaikuprompt #chestnut #pastoral #haiku #writingcommunity

#snow #chestnut

Got a nice heavy snow last night, and everything looks fantastic! The chestnut doesn't really deserve a tag, but I mentioned it yesterday, and the little guy looks good with his(?) new snow coat. It's the little thing on the hill, almost over the snow covered lantern.