Tarbox "Supertree" Discovered
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- - - - -- -- -- Volume 6, No. 2 Newsletter of the New York State Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation, Inc. FallJWinter 1996 TARBOX "SUPERTREE" THANK YOU DISCOVERED ACFNY'.y all volutzteer groirp is a ofthe Grand River Coruervcrtion area On June 10, 1996 the largest known success because of all the ituiivid~iulhard in Burjord, Otltcrrio r~zudespecial American chestnut tree in New York state was working menlbers. It is time to recognize arrunget7zent.s utzdpr~)videdACFNY found by a lumber-marking crew on the the people behind the oiitdoor activities. with embr).os fin171 Canada. The results Tarbox Property tract of Chautauqua County This rinze the that& yoit goes to the field were spectacular; we produced twentyfour Parks. It measures 23 inches in diameter at people who provide the nipport for the different pcrreiztal lines for CESF Syracuse breast height (DBH) with a circumference of getretic program by furtzishing the rleces.sa13~ on sho~noticr. 73.5 inches. The tree stands 85 feet high and tiraterials (inzmntltre nuts) essential to The regular Fa11 harvest was has a 48 foot crown spread. There are no getting emhnos and the mature rtirts to accon~plislzed/7y all the above people plus signs of fungus disease. Congratulations to supply the edilccrtiotz progrctni for growirzg Jo~uzneElls~w-th, Joe Finn, Rich Wells, the Forecon Inc, people who found and trees it1 the schools. Ed Schnieder; Burtoil Nagel, Cal Degolyel; confirmed its identification: Eric Stawitzky 111 order to accomplislz all this, Ken Biirdick, and Lawrerzce Hunt. and Bruce Mack of the crew and Henry locczring new trees is an imporrunt step. Even with our all out effort, this Toniassi, the crew forester, and Curtis Bauer. It is accomplislzed in two ways. First by year's harvest was poor because of wet Consulting Forester. the aerial survey when they are bloomirzg it1 weather during pollination and the loss Jli!\: h~iHorschel has getzerously donated of 3 major trees all 18" DBH +/- and his plarre with hirnself as pilot for the last some snrnller ones. Our gene pool slxyrars to do this, and secondly, 17y hunters corztiiz~iesto shrink. finding trees by seeing the burs on the Planting seedlings is anotlzerfield groutzd and recognizirzg the leaves artd then acrivitj-in ~.vlzichI woiild like to recognize idetttfiirtg the tree. These people are too buiivid~ia1.s~:ho initiated their own many to individ~iallyrecognize, so I will say plmtit~gsfor groups of itzterestecl people. Thank You LLY a group all of you who have Don Broruon has been responsible for dutze this jbr 11s. several sires irz Niagarcl Connt): Joanne Pollinating trees is the next operation Ellswor~lris miking several plarztitzgs mzd is clone by Ruy Dcliglet; Dave Daigler; amoutztitzg to 100 seedlings also in Niagaru Bill Snyder; Bill White, and Tom Deacon Coutr~Joe Finn of Ccitiara~cgiu,Alleghet~y, in District 9; Nelson Harlovv utzd Nornuzrz Erie, and Wyotitirzg Colitzties BOCES has Kltz Dirsetljam District 8; R(v Hopke cuzd over 200 sc.cdlitzgsplat~ted.Chip Lcavj has Johtr Dotzo~c-ichof District 7; Lcwis Decker; started n plantitig in Districr 8, c~r~dfinally District 4; arui Frank Mmzzer and Dt: Craig Pa111 fiirlrtnmz planted on Ecology and Hibberz, District 3. Et~viror~tnerzt's property it1 Larlcnster: Nortrurlll; the next activity is collecriizg Special 17ro1tiotralso goes to Roy nuts 117 October; birr in 1996 we receivnl H. Zen~lnforpersor~all~~taking care of all a special ctzll to provide Drs. Mqruzrd, the seedlir~gsplarzted in Ckesrtzlrt Ridge Powell, and Zing with irnnratlire burs in Park c111dall the Boy Scout Troops that Airglrst. Evetyhody rallied aro1111d atrd Iicive plutztcd nrrd care(i for the orchcrrds. hesides (111 the people already listcd No\+?~~oir see horr: crnd \c./ty oicrprogrutn is crl~ovethese c~cfditiotralpeople joiilcci in; going so u~eII.Keep up the good work and Mcirgmret Collitu, John Ellis, G(~r(11d THANK YOUALL. Rzrcket; Dt: Robert Milks, Dt: John Potenre, Long 1h.c thc Atncricmr Clrestturt Alrin Rand John Hofiiliester; Bob IViltze, Herbert F: Darling. JI: Ed 1y.coj.X Beth Sturdevanr, Bill Presitlcv~rACFN Y cr clzil(1 ed~i(~~ti~tz(~l1 ollicle dtunrtrti:in,o Kmckisteirl, and Dl: Zing. Br~rceGralzcitiz dlc lift. c.yc.10 trr~dblight 171-oblet~rsof'rl~c. page 1 I DISTRICT NEWS District 1 ... Dr. John Potente (Home: 716-232-1556) In conjunction with the above, there is an experimental area at the Director John Potente DMD reports an exhibit presentation DEC's Lowville station where the forester for some time has been at Sweetbriar Nature Center in the Spring was successful with wanting to move chestnuts from there to a new location because of a exposure and increased public awareness to about 8,000 people. cold pocket condition. The Watertown committee had suggested that As a result of a Spring appeal for locations of large American they move some of these to a permanent location in and about Water- chestnut trees, many have hecn found that are between 6-8" in town. The DEC has agreed to do so this coming Spring. diameter. But as these are isolated and are far apart (and blighted), This past year a friend of the Director from Lewis County called they will have to be hand pollinated come Summer 1997. in response to a newspaper article regarding the American chestnut Meanwhile, seeds have been brought back to Long Isfand from and said he has been growing American chestnuts in his back yard the Fall nut harvest exchange at the New York State annual meeting. from seed and transplants for years. After assurances of proper Two sites will now be sought for the plantings of the seedlings that identification, the friend brought a dozen saplings which Walker will be ready in the Fall of 1997. planted in his large vacant back yard. They have made it through the A lecture was given at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Earth summer and hopefully will be able to survive the winter. "If they do, and Space Scicnce Center at the State University of Stony Brook on I think we may have some trees growing that are true American December 10th. chestnuts in my own back yard", says Walker. District 2 ... Margaret Collins (Home: 716-445-6436) Distric! 7 .. WQ~Hopke (Home: 687-648-551 2) Director Margaret Collins reports that eleven of the twelve two- In his October 7 letter to members in the District, Director Roy year-old seedlings planted in Udall's Cove as a test planting survived Hopke reported on several activities. Those accomplished after the the summer, so the plan is to proceed with a larger planting at Alley publication of the last BUR included the fertilization and removal Pond Environmental Center in late Fall of 1996. of tubes of larger tiects at the Sherbume plantation. Location of Nuts from Fall 1995 being grown in the Native Plant Center in American chestnut trees continues with discoveries in state parks Staten Island were unfcrtunately hit by a fungus which spread around the Finger Lakes by Ken Burdick and of smaller trees in quickly through the plants once they reached a height of about Windsor by John Ellis and James Donowick. Hopke reports Districi two inches. Luckily the seedlings from 1994 being grown at Van 7 will need more help this season than last to grow nuts received Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and at the Native Plant Center were from the annual Harvest Exchange. not affected. District 2 members are collaborating with the City Parks Foundation on an education project, which is awaiting final approval Distric! 8 ... Chip heavy (Home: 716-293-2540) from the Board of Education. The program, funded through a special New District Director Chip Leavy's first chance to meet the genera! grant will involve twelve classes of Bronx students who will plant up public as ACFMY's representative was at DEC's Avon NY "National to 1,000 trees (not all chestnuts) in a designated plot on New York Hunting and Fishing Days" where he talked with countless individuais City parkland and monitor them for growth, survival rates, and and handed out hundreds of brochures. Shortly members in the District animal browsing. If approved. the project could start in late Fali will be hearing from him introducin2 himself and re-questing 1996 and run through the school year. District 2 members have also information to help move the District forward. Chip has over 2,000 been named as collaborators in a grant to set up a slightly different seedlings available for shipment to anyone interested in planting. education program at Alley Pond Environmental Center. Margaret is always seeking new ideas, new members and new volunteers, and encourages anyone with any questions or who wishes District 9 .. Bill Snyder (Home: 716-839-5456) to serve as a borough coordinator to contact her at (7 18)445-6436. As an intcrcsting sidebar to the last BUR'S story of District 9's Planting Day, Director Bill Snyder mentions that Prof. Linda Chalker-Scott encouraged her Buffalo State Biology class to join the District 6 ... T. Urling Walker (Home: 315-782-3153} work force by offering extra credits. New activities included a day- Two years ago five healthy true American chestnut trees long "American Chestnut Festival" at a large county park organized were removed froni the DEC Lowville station and replanted in a by member Glen Gelinas. The program included tree location (two denlonstration area in the Watcrtown Conservancy. Unfortunately, were discovered), tree planting under the leadership of a Boy Scout according to Director T.