Chestnut Trees Are Returning to Forests

[@ssm59]

in 1967 my father planted American chestnuts provided by the University of Wisconsin. Fifity years later we have 5 mature chestnuts that have served as backcross stock for the breeding program

[@bluejay3945]

Thank you to you and your family. Your efforts are so very appreciated

[@flintliddon]

Any chance that others here in the US could get saplings to plant here in other states?

[@TheHarleyhillbilly]

Awesome I was born in 1967 I love the chestnut tree I know of around 20 here in my part of East Tennessee

[@yvespetit]

Ssm, are your 5 trees free of the blight?

[@ssm59]

@@yvespetit so far. The biggest has reached close to 24" DBH

[@Aikidoman06]

As a kid in the 60-70s my grandfather had several chestnut trees on his farm. There’s no more trees, but I didn’t know why they had died. Today the farm belongs to me. I want to plant chestnut trees before I give the farm to my kids

[@joey2daworld]

Talk about an amazing gift, I hope they'd appreciate and cherish that. I know I would.

[@Aikidoman06]

@@joey2daworld the farm means a lot to the family. It’s been in the family since 1850. Two different families have lived there. We have a small hunting cabin there now. Last year we scattered my fathers ashes there. It’s a special place for the family

[@buildingwithtrees2258]

My grandmother has a farm that's been in the family as an original stake before Indiana was a state. My dad will get it soon, but he's talking about selling it. I'm glad to hear you don't want to sell your heritage.

[@Aikidoman06]

@@buildingwithtrees2258 offer to buy it from him if money means that much to him. I have planted timber now, and we mostly hunt and camp. Dept of agricultural pays us not to farm it because we are not using pesticides and fertilizers. Maybe your dad can see it as an investment. My niece wants to raise bees on the farm. There’s a lot you can do with a plot of land

[@buildingwithtrees2258]

@@Aikidoman06 I'm way up on Lake superior. No way I could afford it unless I had it clesr cut. My neighbor got 120 acres and a house for free by clear cutting the property. It isn't pretty, but if that's what it takes to keep it in the family.

[@martinmaddox5315]

55 years ago while deer hunting in high knob Virginia, my dad and a friend of mine, when hunting in an unfamiliar area, found a chestnut tree stump about 10 feet tall with an opening inside that the three of us sat inside of the tree and shot at a deer,. It was at least 10 feet in diameter. Dad, born in 1923, said that they were much larger than the one that we sat in. He said there were large stands of the huge trees. He also said the woods had large open areas in that the overhead leave canopy of the chestnut trees prohibited other trees from growing underneath. He said that could easily kill a dozen squirrels sitting at one place in a morning’s hunt. He said they gathered tubs of chestnuts. Thank you for what you are doing!!!

[@arthurmarshall8326]

I'm from coeburn and I often see small chestnut shrubs in hi knob

[@thomasw.eggers4303]

"... and shot at a deer,. It was at least 10 feet in diameter.:" Wow! That's really a large deer!

[@dennywood3347]

I’m down in the western mountains on NC,my Garndpa and great Grandfather were logers I have a lot of old pictures from the early 1900s of the chestnut timber. And still hunt around what’s left of the stumps. I wish I could have seen them. My dad said the only comparison would be the Seqouyah’s out west. When the blite hit it robed up of a great eastern forest.

[@nc4tn]

In my native western NC, my grandfather said that during the chestnut bloom the mountains would take on a white hue that resembled snow.

[@inconnu4961]

@@thomasw.eggers4303 Exactly! If i saw one that wide, i'd be terrified!

[@wsshambaugh]

I think I am most impressed by the length of the efforts behind this. An organization 50 years old dedicated to a single noble mission stands in stark contrast to the profit-driven organizations in the business world. A big thank you to the people who have quietly and earnestly dedicated their lives to this important work, the results of which they may never see finished.

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

Well said. Very well said…❤️

[@pechaa]

We can all be a part of the movement by joining and donating!

[@denisebedford4641]

Indeed, very well said. And, without a single mention of killing anything. Bravo.

[@i.b.blithe3263]

Yes they are doing a super job... but it takes profit driven businesses to provide large quantities and make them available once the research establishes a stable plant. Don't be negative on profit driven businesses, both have a place in our great country.

[@harrylane4]

@@i.b.blithe3263 Yeah, one is designed to prop up and help the environment and the other is designed to rip all of it down the second that is decided to be more profitable! Circle of life.

[@sherylarnold2083]

I’m so glad that the American Chestnut trees coming back to our mountains. Thank you for the work on bringing those trees back.

[@deepspire]

This “back crossing” was a failed experiment. Turned out the more the trees resembled the American Chestnut the less resistance they had to the disease. However, the Chestnut blight problem was solved by inserting a wheat gene. However, because of laws regarding genetically engineered plants, these “Restoration Chestnuts” have not been planted in forests (yet.)

[@sandych33ks1]

The best way is adding a wheat enzyme gene to the American chestnut tree. It works but the government won't approve it. As they consider it a GMO.. Really a wheat enzyme to bring back an almost extinct tree..

[@johnnixon4085]

@@sandych33ks1 The best way is to cross the few American chestnuts that survive the blight long enough to produce nuts, plant those nuts and then select the progeny for blight resistance. But this will take much longer, and the hubris of some people requires a solution within a time span they can see.

[@sandych33ks1]

@@johnnixon4085 That experiment has failed. It was ongoing over 20 years now. Adding the wheat enzyme solved the problem..

[@johnnixon4085]

@@sandych33ks1 You have no patience, and are looking at this through the lens of the timescale of a human life.

[@irelandashbourne837]

As a wee Ladd. My grandfather worked the coal mines in Tioga County New York. We lived on Chestnut street in a town called Owego. Was famous for the hundreds of chestnut trees that lined the street for blocks. My grandfather took me as a youngster with him to collect chestnuts. He had a pedal cart. We would take them downtown and roast them in the cart. We sold them for 5 cents a bag to the workers. I miss him a lot.

[@chrisfuller1268]

5 cents a bag? When was that?

[@irelandashbourne837]

@@chrisfuller1268 60'S

[@thedrivechannel83]

I live in a 300 year old home in CT. Chestnut beam Chestnut floors. What an amazing building material.. And very rot resistant like the man said. I would love to see the return of these great trees.

[@hoponpop3330]

I grew up in Ct also my mom told me about Chestnuts trees , furniture made from it is beautiful that species and unfortunately Elms Which once lined the streets of New Haven giving it the name Elm City have also disappeared.Hopefully someone can bring them back.

[@brucekuehn4031]

The beautiful elm covered lanes of America. The tall, stately umbrellas cooling our streets and neighborhoods. I remember them well and their sudden loss - Dutch Elm Disease (first identified in the Netherlands in 1921). And in recent years - the Emerald Ash Borer killing all our ash trees in my own yard. Such horrible losses!

[@johnnixon4085]

I used to livevin a 1740s farmhouse that has chestnut planks over 2' wide as flooring. The floors are worth more than the house.

[@jessejayphotography]

My town still has a massive elm tree living. It is obviously treated to keep the disease controlled. It is a massive, beautiful tree.

[@KingArthurWs]

@@brucekuehn4031 I lost the Ash tree in my own yard to this :(

[@life_with_bernie]

I'm in Fredericksburg and one of the first things I did when we bought our house 15 years ago was to plant an American Chestnut in our yard, along with several other trees. It took awhile to get established but it eventually did and stands about 30' tall today. Between it and our Eastern White Walnut, we have some very happy squirrels here.

[@melviadinsmore38]

White walnut isn't as popular now as it was years ago but I have seen some in our mountains in SW Virginia in Lee Co near the Powell River.

[@villagecarpenter2266]

The "American Chestnut Tree" produced some of most beautiful wood in the world. IMHO, and I say this as a carpenter with 40 years experience having had the honor to work with reclaimed chestnut from long ago. Welcome back!

[@JeremyRobertWalker]

how can you possibly welcome a tree whose genetics were erased by hybridization with Asian trees?

[@gregmoore5740]

We have a wormy chestnut table made from reclaimed wood and I think it’s amazing.

[@charlesyoung7436]

I have lived in two VA houses with chestnut paneling. Both were built around 1915 when the blight was spreading down the Appalachians from the north (and the trees were being harvested as fast as possible, leaving the wood without worm holes). Both houses had second bathrooms added on later, and the only chestnut available for a match was wormy, so it was spackled with wood filler. I kept getting my clothes snagged on the interior board and batten walls, and did not realize why until I went to the Shenandoah National Park along the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not only were there hollow chestnut logs laying on the ground, but there was an entire dead tree still standing upright. With the bark fallen off the logs and the tree, you could see that the wood had grown in a spiral. This means that every board has one corner that will always snag clothing. It also explains why chestnut was used as a secondary wood in furniture. Not only was it strong and light, but your piano couldn't snag you.

[@oonaghmarguerite6752]

@village carpenter2266 I have an antique bedroom suite made from American Chestnut wood dated around 1890 crafted in Mt Airy NC.

[@Jane-West]

@@oonaghmarguerite6752 I bet it's beautiful!

[@thestrangegreenman]

Hearing that there's a breeding program to combat Emerald Ash Borer is very encouraging. I wasn't aware that anyone cared, and all the ash trees in my home of Upstate NY are dying off from EAB now.

[@stephenblack8804]

The biggest barrier to efforts to achieve EAB resistance in ash is not receiving approval for the transgenic chestnut. Given the quality of the science done on chestnut, if it still succumbs to the anti GMO crowd researchers I have spoken with will not continue with ash, oak and butternut - it would be a pointless effort.

[@laneclaypool8005]

​@@stephenblack8804God made it hard to splice genes for a reason.

[@edl6398]

What an amazing story!!

[@b22chris]

Here in Cincinnati they’ve all been dead for 10+ years. Very sad. Chinas crap kills everything good in the US

[@ssl3546]

@@stephenblack8804 transgenic chestnut is NOT WHAT THIS VIDEO IS ABOUT. The video clearly says it is a result of long breeding work. The work at SUNY with transgenic chestnut from wheat is different.

[@kelliesharpe1067]

I’m from East Tennessee…born and raised and never lived anywhere else. The chestnut trees dying didn’t effect me when I was younger but now it breaks my heart…and here’s why. The Cherokee people actually called the Smokies…The Great White Mountains. They called them that because of the chestnut blooms in spring. The trees were so gigantic that the ridges looked like they were covered in snow but it was actually the white blooms of the chestnut that made them appear that way. That story breaks my heart because I didn’t get to see it. I can’t even talk about it without feeling like I’m just gonna cry. It’s just such a horrible shame it happened. Same for the hemlocks…breaks my heart to see their ghosts on the hillsides.

[@noleftturnunstoned]

what happened to the hemlocks?

[@thebuttermilkyway687]

@@noleftturnunstoned the woolly adelgid

[@Panzer_the_Merganser]

@@noleftturnunstoned Ah damn, yeah sorry for you to find out about it now. I watched the wooly adelgid come into the NC mountains in the early 2000’s and it was devastating beyond words to see this magnificent tree die off. Still breaks my heart. There are people working diligently on similar projects to create a resistant hybrid hemlock, so though we’ll not see live to see it, there’s a chance the hemlock will return.

[@Panzer_the_Merganser]

Right there with you. I almost prefer to not imagine what the woods looked like with thriving chestnut and hemlock, as it must have been stunningly beautiful. Lived through the loss of the hemlock in the NC mountains and don’t think I’ve gotten over it yet.

[@sherriianiro747]

With early treatment you can get rid of it.

[@wfr1108]

These men are heroes for what they're doing

[@carterlee8344]

Yes, Now all we need is a return of the megafauna lost to the younger dryas catastrophe 12,000 years ago for reintroduction into D.C. for instance the Short Face Bear, Mastadons, and, Saber Tooths. 😃

[@truthseeker9688]

My Dad would be so happy to have heard this news. He was SO in awe of the American Chestnut tree. It was a whole different life back in the day of the A. Chestnut. Livestock rambled the land freely and the impact on animal and plant life was huge. The "mast" was so abundant that wildlife flourished. My parents said that the pork was wonderfully tasty. He loved to work with the harvested chestnut lumber.

[@daviddawson1718]

My father has long had a love for A. Chestnut. He tried Chinese Chestnut, but a few years (maybe 10)we had one left. I was shown some of the cultivars of the Chinese/American Chestnut and started planting them every fall/winter. I know of some Allegany Chinkapin root stock in some really out of the way. My question: can I graft/air layer a Chestnut sprouts from blight resistant cuttings.

[@JeremyRobertWalker]

they are erasing the American chestnut tree with a hybrid asian tree ...

[@ciarangale4738]

@@JeremyRobertWalker I also dont love the idea of a hybrid tree taking its place, but you do understand that the american chestnut was all but erased by blight already?

[@JeremyRobertWalker]

@@ciarangale4738 How is that a comparison?

[@ciarangale4738]

@@JeremyRobertWalker the true american chestnut has already almost been wiped out. Theres no getting rid of the blight, or so i assume. Thus, the best option is these blight resistant trees that, while they arent truly the exact same, are better than no chestnut trees and really damn close. You know, by the end of it these trees are going to be nearly indistinguishable from the original american chestnut

[@jcc2c22]

My father was born in WV in 1927 and would occasionally speak of his boyhood and these wonderful trees. We lost him in 2019 but I'm sure he'd be delighted with this news.

[@justayoutuber1906]

"I was born in 1930, and I only remember dead trees," says Blair Carbaugh, a retired biology professor from Pennsylvania's Lock Haven University and a longtime chestnut-recovery activist. "There were dead stems in the woods here and there. My father and grandfather told me they'd been chestnuts and these were their standing skeletons." Chestnut blight was first noticed on American chestnut trees in what was then the New York Zoological Park, now known as the Bronx Zoo, in 1904, by chief forester Hermann Merkel. Merkel estimated that by 1906 blight had infected 98 percent of the chestnut trees in the borough

[@ronniebuchanan6575]

Would love to plant some American Chestnuts on my land.

[@edl6398]

I ate roasted chestnuts that were sold outside the British Museum. They were amazing. Did he say anything about eating them? It’s in a famous Christmas song so I hope so!

[@beccagee5905]

My dad also told me when i was a young girl, about the American Chestnut tree dying out because of blight. I never even saw a Chestnut tree until I went to Europe.

[@arliehartiii6321]

I'm the son and grandson of loggers - my Pap and dad. Pap was born in the '30's, and he would tell stories about the American Chestnuts, and cutting the lumber and working with it as well, since he ran the family sawmill in PA as well. He loved the wood, thought it was beautiful, and it broke Pap's heart when the blight ravaged through central PA forests. My Dad remembers the last of the chestnuts in the area as well. Dad and I talk a lot about the forests, even though Dad finally got out of the woods working a few years ago, and he's been worried for a long time about the state of the Ash, Hemlock, Oak, and others, and remembers when the Elm blight went through as well. I still remember great swath's of mountain near where I grew up that had huge gaps and skeletal trees in them, with tons of scrubby undergrowth and pines filling in what used to be Elm groves - this was the 80's, when the Dutch Elm blight was at its peak. Recently, I've been saddened watching a couple of my own favorite trees, the Ash and the Hemlock, struggle and die in huge numbers, leaving their skeletons in huge groves around the forests. It's very encouraging to see the hard work by both the American Chestnut Foundation and the American Chestnut Research & Restoration Project at SUNY ESF start to bear fruit, literally. The replanting of the Chestnut has started in PA already, there are test stands of these new crosses started in several sections in central PA. I'm encouraged that the forests I remember growing up in will be better than I remember them as a boy.

[@melviadinsmore38]

I LOVE Hemlock and it bothers me that they are dying. Another massive beautiful tree . Sad!

[@LDBoone]

Watching giant hemlock stands die out was heart breaking. I see young hemlock trees regenerating now but know Ill not see them mature. Ash has been heating my home since the borer wiped them out. We did manage to salvage beautiful lumber from the bigger ones. Theres actually a few ash that somehow survived.

[@martinmaddox5315]

My dad grew up in southwest Virginia in the depression era. His “pap” as he was affectionately called, owned a small sawmill. My dad told me of driving a team of mules to the top of a mountain, hauling a sled full of logs from daylight to almost dark and receiving a dollar a day. He trapped squirrels, ate them, and sold the tails to fishing lure companies for 10 cents each. He said he was happy when he caught a skunk which he cleaned and sold the scent gland , yes the scent gland, to a PERFUME company??? He got a dollar for each skunk. Later years living in Georgia , my neighbor a former Connecticut native told me almost the exact same story about trapping and hitting a skunk with a stick to skin, getting sprayed. He and my dad both became very successful in their adulthood, my dad became a successful attorney and my neighbor a dentist.

[@johnmcadam7493]

I'm 1 year late to see this on my feed. All I can say is that this is absolutely amazing ! The amount of wildlife that these trees supported at one time is staggering.

[@accousticdecay]

I had no idea what had happened to the chestnuts until my botany 101 professor opened my eyes to the blight many decades ago. It is good to see the restoration work progressing so well.

[@kanealoha]

This is so exciting. I live in a well maintained log cabin here in New Jersey that was built with chestnut logs (they were harvested from the mountain right behind my house). The house was built in the 1920s. I’ve heard tell of how eventually all the chestnut trees died due to the blight and the mountain was bare of trees until other species had the chance to grow in the empty spaces. I’ve always dreamed of a time when we could bring the American Chestnut back to the mountains here. How exciting that it may soon become a reality. Thanks for all of your hard work. I would be very happy to join your organization and support the process.

[@theodorefletcher2618]

We bought a old home here in Carrol County Virginia and we have a fairly healthy Chestnut tree dropping alot of seeds every year.

[@formwiz7096]

The house where I grew up was built by my grandfather in 1912 and all the woodwork; the front door, door frames, window sills, even 2 sets of sliding doors was chestnut, which made the house quite unique. And valuable.

[@bradley200711]

they want $300 for chestnut seed. they should be sending these seeds out all over the US free.

[@Subpac_ww2]

Agree

[@CherokeeBear]

Well the work they're doing is costly and timely. I wouldn't mind supporting their work and time with my money for this cause.

[@lilbit2700]

Maybe when the trees are more established and growing well, they might give them away. For now they have to raise money to be able to continue their work and make a good strong establishment of them.

[@f9qo]

During my long career as a furniture maker, I've worked with many woods from around the world. Chestnut (my local variety that is free from the blight where I live) is one of my favorites, a wonderful strong hardwood that is very valuable in the way it is workable and stable when dried, and also in it's beautiful appearance, both when freshly worked and in the way that the appearance quietly ages over time. Hopefully one day the tree will be in such abundance that woodworkers can again utilize the fine material.

[@soundbwoikilla764]

Glad you mentioned this. I have a few pieces of antique Virginia furniture with chestnut and agree it is a beautiful and distinct wood.

[@mgoh1984]

I wonder if there is a way to purchase seedlings. I think many would gladly buy them to help the restoration process, maybe even planting forests as great grandchildren retirement funds.

[@jungblud59]

@@mgoh1984 I was thinking the same thing.

[@Peak-03]

Contact the american chestnut foundation. I think they will send you seedlings at little or no cost.

[@mgoh1984]

@@Peak-03 Hi Cody, thanks for the info. I went to their site and sent an email asking how to get some nuts or seedlings. I can plant one in my yard but will plant more in local wildlife preserves here in SW Ohio.

[@reneebarger5194]

How wonderful! I wish Elm trees could have been saved. I remember we had two huge Elms on either side of our front walkway. My father cried when they had to be “condemned” and cut down back in the 1950’s.

[@foamer443]

I recall an article in Scientific American in the '90's saying the best and healthiest Elms were in Winnipeg Manitoba. Interesting reading if you can find it.

[@tvbopc5416]

I live near the town common in Athol, MA - for some reason, there are 3 huge American Elms on the south side of the common. Hope their immunity is heritable.

[@Alexander-rq9he]

Aww 💔

[@stonedog1000]

They are saved; a native American Elm with strong resisitance, 'Princeton ' variety is available. I have 2 in my front yard, 9" diameter and 35' tall, 10 years old.

[@David-sc2ir]

My ancestors came to western Virginia from Ireland in the late 1700's and built their homestead which still stands to this day (and is lived in)... and it was built entirely from native American chestnut. Even today, over 100 years after the blight wiped out these trees, you can still find remains in the woodlands of Appalachia.

[@robmangeri777]

Organizations like this should be receiving funding in place of so many failed government programs. Great job getting it done anyway folks! God bless you and your amazing work!

[@petervanderwaart1138]

Back about 1960 in NJ, when I was a Boy Scout, we camped next to a grove with a big tree trunks on the ground. When we cut one up for firewood, we found they had the most amazing straight grain. Eventually, I realized they were chestnuts.

[@cylemarcum3305]

There are photos of chestnut trees that were absolute monsters. More than twice the size that you said they grow

[@buck546]

Since I was a boy I have seen the remains of the American chestnut trees in the mountains around me. My Dad explained to me what happened long ago and it really bothered him that they all died. He said he saw many big trees die in the forest. To this day I see new growth sprouting in the forest where I live that will grow to point and than die.

[@feliciagaffney1998]

They catch the blight when they mature. 😢 they still grow... they try... but they haven't been able to make it.

[@randallreed9048]

I still remember the reactions of my Dad and my rural relatives to the demise of the American chestnut trees in the East. They were distressed and depressed. And, at that time, the common belief was that these trees were simply gone forever. Fini. End. Forever. This is just a delightful, unexpected, story that deserves to be publicized. My Dad and my relatives are all gone now, but I am sure they would have been ecstatic with this story.

[@LiamRappaport]

I'm so glad to see the work they're doing is paying off! Growing up, my dad always used to tell me how a squirrel could go from Georgia to Maine on chestnut trees without ever touching the ground. I can't wait until they're back in full force.

[@jennhoff03]

[@Condor1970]

When I was a child in the 1970's growing up in Wisconsin, I remember seeing Chestnut trees here and there in our state. Most were brought in by settlers over a century ago, but they were few and far between. From what I remember, luckily they were in an area that blight didn't seem to affect them so far north. I think those trees when I was a kid helped serve as part of the program to do this. They were some of the last remaining American Chestnut trees in the world.

[@kimfleury]

I've been following the progress of the American Chestnut Foundation for 20 years. I'm on the Great Lakes, so I wasn't very familiar with their work until I happened across it while looking up tree identification. I just wanted to know what kind of tree was growing on the edge of the pond in my backyard, and ended up supporting the American Chestnut Project.

[@Luckcu13]

Oh, were you one of the lucky ones that still have an American Chestnut tree?

[@francinamanning2320]

It is so heartwarming to know that there are people out there trying to bring back the American Chestnut tree! I myself have tried to grow them in my backyard, but they failed 😔. Thank you all for your hard work!! I wish I could physically join you!!

[@outbackwack368]

I remember when I was a kid in a Philadelphia suburb a huge chestnut tree up the street, We used to love the burrs, seeds and smell of the chestnuts. I hope they continue to grow and thrive! Thank you!

[@bobweiram6321]

It might have been horse chestnut which has a shiny round nut 🌰 unlike the American chestnut's crescent 🌙 shaped nut.

[@justayoutuber1906]

They were totally gone by 1940

[@Amberpawn]

We've lost so many incredible plants to invasive species and pathogens. Seeing all the work that goes into preservation, conservation, and restoration by various teams is a delight.

[@williamfischer3117]

We just discovered several American Chestnuts growing from stumps on our Highland County, VA property at 3300'. According to the forester with me, he saw evidence of blight, but I still hope one or more will survive!

[@johnfleming7879]

Glad to see that-When I was a boy, and visited Appallacia, I noticed there were still smaller trees, but learned they would die of blight after a few more seasons. I thought , at that time, "at least we are preserving the variety- if only we could defeat the virus". I am glad to see we are on the way

[@christopherbrown7546]

I heard stories of the giant American chestnut trees from my great grandmother . So glad This team is working to get them back I would love to plant them on our property in western Tennesee

[@kathymostoller2619]

Live in Pa. Several miles from Mt. Davis, highest point in Pa. There's young American Chestnut trees growing on that mountain.

[@aprilmiller6767]

I've planted four Dunstan American Chestnuts on my property in Georgia. They're five years old and just beginning to produce well.

[@CSWRB]

April, I planted 6 Dunstan Chestnut trees. I was so exited because I had read they were resistant. They were young trees probably around 5 feet tall. Two died the second year they were planted. They looked great, so heathy looking until the leaves suddenly started turning brown. Took them about three weeks to go from beautiful and green to dead and brown. Two more of them died the next year, same symptoms, but I had two that survived for 5 years. They were gorgeous and I was so happy until about a month ago when another one died. Same symptoms as the others. Now I only have one left.

[@BE74297]

@@TerreHauteRemoteGoat see cswrbś comment below

[@Carp1959]

My neighbor has 2 of these trees on his property that was planted by his father 45 years ago, after watching your channel I noticed them and just collected some of the nuts to teach my grandchildren about them ! Thanks for your educational videos!

[@jasonpatterson8091]

It kills me, but when I was a kid in central Ohio the 1980's, there was a house with an enormous chestnut tree down the street from us. It was at least 3 feet in diameter and produced nuts of the size shown in this video - kids from all over the neighborhood would pick them up from the lawn when they fell. I find it hard to believe that it was an American chestnut, but it doesn't really make sense that it would have been a foreign variety based on its age and the nuts it produced. Some idiot cut it down ~1990 after buying the place and disliking the burrs in the yard.

[@teacup3133]

We had a huge old oak in our neighborhood in the Bronx. It would take several people to put their arms around it. People bought the house and cut it down after the whole neighborhood objected. It was several hundred years old. Those stupid people then moved to Florida. I’m still angry 60 years later.

[@JackHaveman52]

@@teacup3133 My home town had a main street that was lined with maples that were extremely old. Our town council decided to cut them ALL down, despite the objections of most of the town folk. Main street went from a beautiful, picturesque landscape to a sterile run of pavement. That was 55 years ago and the old timers still complain about it.

[@nealshirley6479]

I've got a few years on you, but I have the same memories. Our tree was across the street. We used to gather them up but I don't remember what we did with them. The seed's hard, smooth seed were just cool to hold. Of course, some became ammunition! A childhood memory that really stands out.

[@Baseballnfj]

Assholes.... the people who own the American Chestnut in my town keep lopping off limbs and stapling clothes lines to it. I want to cry

[@TheLosamatic]

That’s amazing the town let him cut it down! Stupid is as stupid does. Of course he had no right to do that, no one made him buy that property!

[@logicaredux5205]

This is fantastic! I live in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. At the time of the battle, the most numerous tree on the battlefield was the American Chestnut. The blight killed them all. But today, the National Park Service has done a lot of work to try to return the battlefield to it’s 1863 appearance. I wonder if they are following your work?

[@LegendaryCollektor]

More than likely the work of the this organization is part of their solution but not the entirety

[@archicebunker2210]

I have a American chestnut tree on my farm over 80 yrs old. Jeff in Virginia,

[@andrewfisher3613]

I have a memory as a little kid in my grandparents yard, seeing this big old dead tree with a whole bunch of shoots coming out the base. Mom told me all about the American Chestnut history. I think I was 3 or 4, one of my earliest memories.

[@Snarkapotamus]

Beautiful wood. The cabinetry and trim in my parents home in NW PA was almost exclusively made from early blight Chestnut. It is tight grained, beautiful wood! Glad to see people are trying to bring it back!

[@Graybeard_]

In Yuba county, CA there is a small grove of American Chestnuts that, because they were isolated, were not impacted by the blight. A farmer had transplanted them many years before. For years university scientists would come to study the chestnuts and collect their nuts. I no longer live there, so I don't know who owns the grove now. I knew the owners back in the 1980s, and each fall they would sell chestnuts both raw and roasted. I visited there a couple of years ago, and the grove is still there, but it doesn't look as cared for as it was in the 80s and 90s.

[@Pipsqwak]

There are similar isolated American Chestnut trees in Washington state. We also have Chinese chestnuts growing in a lot of yards and probably escaped to the wild, so I wonder if they would naturally hybridize with those American trees we have.

[@Baseballnfj]

I think the largest said stand is in Northern Michigan where there is a stand of hundreds of American Chestnuts because it's outside of the original geographic range of the chestnut

[@natejansen892]

​@Patriotic Socialism It's true. There are chestnuts in Michigan. I found a "mother" tree that was surprisingly large and cranking out seed. I live 50 miles from shores of lake Michigan which is where many of the survivors remain. If you're interested you could google - Distribution of surviving chestnut trees in michigan.

[@rclaughlin]

Graybeard, my childhood elementary school in Chico has a stand of chestnut trees growing on one side of the lot. As you said, its isolation saved it. I remember seeing fallen chestnuts on the ground every autumn.

[@pengoat9]

I found a grove of Heritage American Chestnut trees today in North Georgia.. No sign of blight... I'm going to start growing more in same area and also set up a greenhouse or contact heritage seed company...They truly do put out huge numbers of nuts and the deer and hogs must love them... Yee Haa!

[@joeyoungs8426]

Here in MI my neighbor and I have several chestnut trees. One fairly mature about 16” in diameter on their property and the rest are no doubt offspring of that tree scattered on both our properties. Nice to see them coming back. Ash is also making a comeback, but mostly in the northern part of the lower part.

[@kfgabriele9852]

Love this!!! The American Chestnut has an amazing history and its value to the people, fauna, flora, ecosystems, economy, was (and can be again!) truly incalculable. God, bless this endeavor and everyone who assists it in any way.

[@DanielLLevy]

Thank you for doing this! God bless you and your future generations! My family used to be in the European Chestnut business, and the awful story of the American Chestnut made me cry in Phytopathology class for real! My legendary Great Grandpa, who became French after WWI and lost his job as the German Kayser's forestry assessor, went into the forestry business on his own and introduced the European Chestnut to the newly "refrenched" Alsatian landscape, for its wood which was needed by the local coopers. The descendants of the trees he planted still grace the upper reaches of the Alsatian foothills, and can be seen mostly on the Red Sandstone ones. In those Northern climes, they do not reach the girth and the longevity or their Rhodanian brethren, and they produce fruits which are quite small, but, oh my, they sure are sweet! The local fauna has taken a liking to them as well, and many nuts harbor one or two plump, pink weevil larvae. When we were kids, we used to sit in the kitchen peeling Chestnuts, feeding ourselves as well as our Goldfish, which had never read about his species being mostly herbivorous...

[@peetky8645]

nice. my dad grew up in appalachia before the blight destroyed all the trees. his childhood house was a chestnut cabin. he said when the flower petals fell in the spring it was like a snowstorm.

[@newwavepop]

i only learned about this situation a couple years ago and in turn the wonderful history of the American Chestnut Tree and have been just loosely following it since. in these divisive times we are currently going through it would absolutely warm my heart if this blight could be stopped and these beautiful American trees make a comeback to the forests where they belong.

[@dwaynesbadchemicals]

Awesome seeing these hardwoods come back.

[@Wibb14]

Where I grew up in West Virginia we had an American Chestnut in our yard. I still remember as a kid stepping on some of the burrs in my bare feet. Ouch! That was in the early 70's. That tree was gone by the 80's, if I recall correctly. I've been patiently watching the progress of the different cross breeding programs around the country in hopes of being able to plant my own chestnut trees one day. Thank you for all the hard work to restore this once great tree.

[@grovermartin6874]

This is one of the most heartening videos I have ever watched. It almost brings tears to my eyes! So much good work, for so long, by so many people! Thank you for this video.🙏

[@kellykelly7747]

OMG!!! This is the best news ever!!! I was so heartbroken when I learned about the great dying of the American chestnut tree. I can't wait to see these blight resistant American chestnut trees back in the Appalachian forests!!!!!!! Much much love and success ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@edensbounty6679]

I planted 2 chestnuts in 7b Georgia last year, so far they are doing great.

[@syedalishanzaidi1]

Oh, I loved this program! I am from the Indo-Pak region, and having crossed my 80th, I would like to see nothing better than to have the luck to see the Chestnut make a comeback in the great country of my adoption. America is filled to the brim with amazing dedicated people who care for nature and who are striving to see its pristine natural treasures restored and protected. Good luck with this work. ❤❤❤

[@JuardianK]

A lot of great progress is being made and inoculation really can do wonders. In WV we are doing plenty of it whenever we find chestnuts and some are reaching the point of producing viable seed. It really is as simple as pressing a hole into the tree, putting the inoculum in, and covering it up.

[@chrisfuller1268]

Where do I get the inoculum?

[@JuardianK]

@@chrisfuller1268 I am not sure whether or not you can buy it easily. If you are in WV, contact your region's Division of Forestry office and ask if they do it. In my region they will come inoculate for you if you have chestnut trees and are interested. It's 100% free. If you aren't in WV I recommend calling your state forestry department in case they operate similarly. Best of luck!

[@joeharmon9230]

There is also an American Chestnut tree at the YMCA Camp in Greenville SC.

[@moharak]

Way to go guys. I joined 25 years ago or so but was busy raising kids and have not had much time to volunteer. Retirement is coming so I may be knocking on the doors of AMF to see if they need orchard workers.

[@Jenna08848]

Proud ACF member with two American Chestnut Colonies in my forest in Pennsylvania

[@Thomas-pq4ys]

I've a friend with a 1740 log cabin, made from Chestnut logs. Thanks for the education.

[@lordsgirl1123]

This is wonderful news! We had a big chestnut tree in our side yard when I was a little girl. The neighborhood kids would come to our house for “chestnut wars!” If you think snowball fights are bad you’ve never been beaned by a chestnut burr! Thank you. This makes me smile! 😊

[@stevenwilgus5422]

This is wonderful news. When I was a boy, I lived on Elm Avenue. There are thousands of Elm Avenues and Chestnut Streets in America. As a young lover of nature, it was heartbreaking to my young mind to learn that all the Chestnut and Elm trees were already gone by the time I came along. Thank you nature for being so resilient and for tolerating us-- despite our constant neglect and flagrant abuse. 🌳🌳

[@SupahTrunks7]

I’m only just now realizing that the big tree in my grandmothers backyard must’ve been American Chestnut. That house had been in the family since before my father was born (so at least the 50s). It made the whole backyard feel small and dropped so many burrs that there were squirrels in the yard basically 24/7. The house was sold a few years ago when my grandma started having health problems and couldn’t live on her own anymore so I don’t know if the tree is still standing but I hope it is

[@Free-g8r]

This makes me so happy. Seeing the ash trees dying around me is very depressing. I hope with selective breeding techniques we can restore the ash trees as well as bring back the American Chestnut and the Elm trees which we sadly lost.

[@jamesschmehl5972]

God bless you folks with an everlasting success story.

[@sirtango1]

Chestnut was important for moonshiners as well. It doesn’t put out a lot of smoke when burned making the shiners operation harder to detect. I remember my grandparents telling stories of people waking up to new split rail fences. The old fence was made from chestnut. When the chestnut wood became scarce people scavenged it wherever they could find it. And if you were lucky people would replace the fence with locust. If you weren’t liked, chances are you wouldn’t get a new fence in the middle of the night. Much like Brazilian rosewood today. But when propane gas became easily available the shiners switched to it and didn’t have to worry about the smoke giving away the location of their stills.

[@markholub97]

Can’t wait to see these trees make a comeback. They might not fully come back in my lifetime but I look forward to seeing these monstrous trees.

[@GlenaGarrett]

I live in the central VA foothills. I'm curious whether you're also working on reintroducing chinquapins that were also pretty much wiped out by the blight. We used to have those and chestnuts all around when I was growing up. So sad they're no longer here. Chinquapins were such a wonderful treat while out on a walk..

[@Roba7829]

Glena- I’m working on bringing Chinquapins back to Culpeper. Will consider rest of the state later 😉

[@GlenaGarrett]

@@Roba7829 Very cool. I grew up in Madison, own a property there (in planning mode for renovation) but currently live in Orange. One of the renovation goals is to introduce more native species and possibly have it designated as a wildlife habitat. I'd love to include American Chestnut and Chinquapin. Is there a website for contacting you? I'm not on any other social media.

[@carinanderson8239]

Thank you so much for doing this great work. I rented a house in Va in the 80’s that had a small American chestnut tree. The nuts were soo good! Much tastier than the ones in the market. I am glad the American Chestnut will be returning to the landscape.

[@f.demascio1857]

I planted one on my property a few months ago. Hoping it will survive.

[@joegallagher1842]

Let's get them up into Pennsylvania soon. Great work team.

[@carolranes91]

My Dad planted 2 Chestnut trees on our property 40 years ago. He loved roasted Chestnuts because the trees were on his family farm growing up. What we couldn’t eat we sold to the new Chinese restaurants opening up in Williamsburg, VA. We always had Chestnuts in our Turkey dressing at Christmas and Thanksgiving! Glad to see them returning to Virginia. I would like to see an increase in the Dogwood trees. They have not faired too well over the past years and they are so beautiful!

[@maevethefox5912]

I've been a bunch of places in the world, and Virginia is the second most beautiful I can think of. (I'm sorry, the Swiss Alps are just too spectacular) Awesome to see them coming back.

[@RabbitWriter]

1 in 4 trees in the eastern US forests were once chestnut. The largest ecological disaster in forestry history may now become one of the greatest restoration efforts and success stories thanks to you!

[@richtomlinson7090]

I failed at growing a European Chestnut 🌰 and I have three small Dunstan Chestnut growing, and I hope they all survive a long time.

[@camadams9149]

1:56 Dead end that we already have a superior solution to: 1) If you want to bring back the American chestnut, creating a new hybrid is not bring back the American chestnut. It is just introducing a new hybrid 2) Darling-58. It is an American chestnut tree with a single gene from wheat. It allows the tree to produce oxalate oxidase (an enzyme that neutralizes the chemical the blight produces)

[@teripittman]

I believe there are still a couple of chestnut trees in an old Forest Service arboreteum above Carson WA. The arboreteum was planted in the 30s and the trees were marked. It's no longer maintained and is now owned by the county. I think the altitude is high enough to keep the blight away. If you move seedings down, they get blight.

[@adamredden2007]

There are many left but they never reach bearing age. They continue to grow as root suckered from old root systems.

[@MrSoarman]

About 1000 are still alive, out of 100k of yesteryear.

[@teripittman]

@@adamredden2007 these were full sized trees and I saved a few nuts to try and plant. Elevation is 1700 ft and it's in the Gifford Pinchot forest. I haven't checked on them in years due to health issues. But they are at the edge of the arboreteum, if anyone wants to look.

[@adamredden2007]

@@teripittman send me some! We are at 1800 ft in southern WV. I'm following the restoration efforts closely as I want to participate in replanting. We have 150 acres so I plan to set aside a few acres just for this.

[@teripittman]

@@adamredden2007 I am not sure I can get back there. I will take a look on Sunday and let you know

[@operachild]

There's a tiny pocket of woods in this local mansion museum/ garden here in Delaware with a few chestnut trees

[@culbinator]

Y’all are doing the Lord’s work. Welcome back American Chestnut!!!!

[@stephenvanwoert2447]

You mean the Lord who made the pathogen which kills the tree?

[@culbinator]

@@stephenvanwoert2447 true true. The "Lord" is a double edged sword.

[@greggkeyes636]

I remember as a kid in the 50's seeing these trees, stepping on those seed pods and wondering what was going on with the sap bleeding from the blight fungus. Never realizing what was happening at the time. Later worked with some fine craftsmen up north who contracted with a group in the Carolina's to retrieve dead chestnut trees in the forest to make window & door trim for a house we were building. We made our own trim back then. I am so glad to see this program working so well.

[@Peter_Gunn]

Thank you so much for taking the time and putting forth the effort to bring the American chestnut back.

[@bertdaniel1449]

I remember hearing the story of the sad plight of the American Chestnut back in 1994. I was staying at a youth hostel in Virginia and the den furniture included pieces stamped “LOS” for live oak standing and “WC” for wormy chestnut. The hostel manager, John Vassar, explained to me how the American tree was threatened and making a last stand in Michigan with cross breeding efforts ongoing. This was an an excellent update and an effort fully worth our support!

[@kennethmoles4643]

I would love to have a few seedlings to plant on my property! I grew up eating chestnuts from my Grandparents trees. They're so delicious!!!

[@ChrysanthsMum]

Used to go to a county park when we were kids to pick chestnuts. Such fun.

[@theresamay9481]

Love all the wonderful comments about people's experiences with these trees. And to see what they're doing to bring this great tree back- Heart warming. Also, if anyone's read The Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, if I remember correctly one chapter is about Almanzo Wilder's family picking chestnuts in the fall that grew abundantly in upstate New York.

[@Raivias4]

I like that he shows the difference between the different varieties of tree.

[@davegaetano7118]

Chestnuts were very important for honey bees. The loss of chestnuts has not been made up, and is one of the reasons in my opinion that honey bees are suffering.

[@CampingforCool41]

Honey bees aren’t native to America

[@foamer443]

Do remember that Honey bees are a non-native species. And yes they are having a hard time of it lately, but more to the point is that our native Bumble bees of many species are also in severe decline and they are of just as much importance as the American Chestnut tree is.

[@davegaetano7118]

@@foamer443 Native bees are more than welcome to their share of the nectar from American chestnuts. I just hope that the nectar is attractive to all bees. It is my understanding that bees absolutely detest the nectar of Chinese chestnuts, and I hope there isn't much Chinese genetics in the new American chestnuts.

[@DovidM]

The collapse of the American chestnut population preceded honey bee decline by several decades.

[@branchandfoundry560]

The biggest threat to honey bees is hobby beekeepers. Around the globe, winter prep and simple queen rearing--the keystones of sustainable beekeeping--are not taught at the hobby level. At the commercial level, we have not had annual loss in several years. Personally, I've had zero winter loss the past five years with ~100 hives.

[@Ken-xm1rf]

This is a great project. Let's hope there are millions of these trees back in our forests in a couple of hundred years.

[@galenmullenax4039]

Bless Y'all for this work!! It's amazing to get the wonderful American Chestnut to thrive again. I live in Virginia too and proud you are establishing this in our beautiful state. Take care my friends ❤️

[@rongamble8930]

I used to serve at Rainelle UMC in Rainelle, WV, in Greenbrier County. The caretakers proudly tell the church building is the largest structure built of American Chestnut in the world.

[@Yourname942]

awesome, It's such a shame we never got to experience chestnut trees because of blight, but this looks promising and I hope it spreads across the US! (or at least in the East Coast)

[@sambow4u]

Living in the Appalachians of N.C. I greww up with 5 Huge Chestnuts in our front yard ! My Grandfather had 3 and everyone around just about had a chestnut , There's still several around ! Since I can remember , every year during deer season , I'd fill my pockets and plant them while in the woods ! For the Last 5 yrs. I've hunted Winnsboro S.C. and the property had be Clear cut for Pine ! All the hardwoods had been left and most were Pin Oaks ! I've got 7 Chestnuts started , caged of and Healthy ! At 61 yrs old , Maybe ,,, they'll be a spot that those monster Bucks can depend on those chestnuts when I'm Long Gone !

[@geraldmiller5260]

One of the great treats that I had working in China were the street vendors selling roasted chestnuts. The great American lyrics "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" I never knew how they tasted in the USA.

[@nielgregory108]

I've got dozens of chestnut trees on my property and ALWAYS HAVE HAD. My Grandfather remembers these trees when he was young!! THEY WERE NOT WIPED OUT!!!

[@kshahkshah]

Great interview and amazing program. I admire their patience. Way to play the long game. I hope they partner with hog/turkey farmers for their pastures

[@timmeisburger3808]

This is a great program. People think that log houses were made of oak, and when I built a replica house for the Claude Moore Colonial Farm back in the 80s, that is what I used. The truth is, most log houses were made of chestnut, including the flooring. It won't happen in my lifetime, but I am still pleased that eventually my future colleagues will be able to hew and rive chestnut again. Bravo!

[@cujero]

I can't wait to see these trees come back. Thank you for your work. Very inspiring

[@papajeff5486]

Incredible long term science and labor intensive project. Man-o-man!! WELL DONE !!!