The Little River WATERMARK

Friends of VOLUME 15 / ISSUE 2 DuPont Forest MEMBERSHIP NEWSLETTER Spring 2017

The American Chestnut Tree Returns with New Pairs of Genes: Part 1 In 1820, there were four-fold more American chestnut trees living in the Appalachian Mountains than there were people living on the entire planet. When Alabama and Maine were admitted to the United States in 1819 and 1820, approxi- mately 25% of the trees in the for- ests of the Appalachian Mountains Figure1 were American chestnut (Castanea dentate). Referred to by some as “mighty giants”, American chest- nut trees could reach a height of 120 feet and a circumference of 30 feet. In contrast to the three billion trees shedding chestnuts Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 from Alabama to Maine in 1820, there are probably fewer than 200 Figure 1 – Microscopic image of linear array of cells in individual hyphae of the American chestnuts with a circum- fungus Sordaria fimicola. Courtesy of George Barron, University of Guelph. ference greater than six feet grow- Figure 2 – Scanning electron micrograph of a mass of hyphae produced by Aspergillus. Courtesy of Alan Box, University of Lethbridge. – Mycelium ing wild in the Appalachian forests Figure 3 of an unidentified fungus growing on dead wood. Courtesy of Robin Kobaly, The today. So, what happened? Power of Plants. Figure 4 – Canker formed by chestnut blight. Spread of the fungus As many of us learned in school, from an initial wound creates a series of vertical cracks in the bark. USDA Forest the demise of the American chest- Service, Region 8 Southern, bugwood.org nut was not a consequence of logging operations, forest fires, climate change, rees. The fungus was discovered on chestnut woolly adelgids, or gypsy moths – but was in fact trees in the New York Zoological Park in 1904, due to the chestnut blight. That answer would end although by then it was spreading throughout for- the quiz on Jeopardy, but it’s just the beginning of ests in the eastern United States. By 1940, most this article. Chestnut blight is an infectious disease of the three billion American chestnut trees in the caused by a fungus called Cryphonectria parasit- United States were dead. The distinction between ica. This fungus was growing in Japanese chestnut “most” and “all” is quite important. In contrast trees when they were imported to the United to the American chestnut trees, all of the three States in the late 1800s for use as ornamental t

Continued on Page 2 1 The American Chestnut Tree Returns Continued from Page 1 billion passenger pigeons that populated the skies of the United States in the late 1800s were dead well before 1940. Thanks to those few remaining American chestnut trees, attempts to repopulate our forests with American chestnut trees are a lot more promising than attempts to repopulate our skies with passenger pigeons. To understand why some American chestnut trees continue to bear fruit today, we need to understand a bit more about the ecology of the fungus and of the chestnut tree. The fungus C. parasitica infects trees at sites where the bark has been damaged by woodpeckers, deer rubs, boring insects, or other insults. The fungus grows by creating branched filamentous hyphae (singu- lar = hypha) that extend into the vascular tissue beneath the bark to obtain nutrients produced by the tree. Hyphae consist of a thin (less than 1/10 the diameter of a human hair) tubular array of cells (Figure 1). The hyphae intertwine and form bundles of filaments (Figure 2) that make up the body of the fungus, referred to as the mycelium (plural = mycelia) (Figure 3). Most of the cells in the mycelium of C. parasitica are haploid, i.e., the nucleus of each cell contains one complete set of chromosomes (9 different chromosomes in the case of C. parasitica). The hyphae extend by cell division at the tip of the filament. As the hyphae spread from the original site, adjacent tissue is killed and an open wound called a canker is formed on the tree (Figure 4). When a canker completely girdles a tree, which can take 2 to ten years, the flow of nutrients between the roots and Figure 5 – Orange tendril (cirrhus) extruded from a yellow the crown is blocked and the tree dies. asexual fruiting body (pycnidium) contains thousands of Cryphonectria parasitica reproduces by both an spores. Photo courtesy of Mark Double, Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University. asexual process and a sexual process. In the asex- ual process, the fungus creates fruiting bodies and carried by birds, insects, and wind to nearby (pycnidia) the size of a pinhead that extrude sticky trees. Each conidium is capable of forming a new yellowish-orange tendrils called cirrhi (singular = organism (mycelium) that can reproduce by an cirrhus) (Figure 5). These tendrils contain micro- asexual or sexual process. The mycelium that scopic haploid spores called conidia (singular grows from a conidium is genetically identical to = conidium). A canker surrounded by a cluster the parent fungus and thus is essentially a clone. of yellowish-orange dots on a chestnut tree is a To create genetic diversity, C. parasitica repro- strong indication of chestnut blight (Figure 6). The duces by a sexual process in which a conidium sticky conidia are released from the fruiting body (functioning in this case as a male gamete)

2 Continued on Page 3 Figure 6 – Yellow fruiting Although C. parasitica reproduces quickly beneath bodies containing spores the bark of chestnut trees, it does not infect produced by chestnut portions of chestnut trees that are below the blight. Joseph O’Brien, soil. Consequently, the roots of infected chestnut USDA Forest Service, trees may survive for many years and continue to bugwood.org. send up new shoots. There are chestnut saplings in DuPont State Recreational Forest today that Figure 7 – Close up have sprung from the roots of trees that died of sexual fruiting bod- more than 75 years ago. Most of these saplings ies called perithecia. will die from the blight before they produce fruit. Spores are released One possible explanation for the failure of C. through the curved parasitica to reproduce in the roots of chestnut stalks called ostioles. With permission from trees is the presence of microorganisms (bacte- the American Society ria and fungi) in the soil that secrete substances of Microbiology and that inhibit the growth of C. parasitica. Dr. W. thanks to Dr. Donald Weidlich reported at the 16th American Chestnut Nuss. This photo Symposium in 1978 that cankers on chestnut appeared in an article trees can be “cured” by packing soil around the by Sun, Choi, and canker. Although this method has been used, it is Nuss published in obviously an impractical remedy for thousands of 2009 in Eukaryotic infected trees. Cell, Volume 8, pages 262-270. When the blight was first discovered, it was thought that the most effective way to elimi- Figure 8 – Perhaps the nate the fungus would be to remove all infected tallest surviving American chestnut in the United chestnut trees and wait a few years for the fungal States. Photo courtesy spores to die out. In 1911, the Pennsylvania state of Susan Sharon, Maine legislature appropriated $275,000 to eradicate Public Radio. chestnut blight by cutting down every infected tree in the state. By the end of 1913, more Continued from Page 2 than 50,000 chestnut trees had been cut down in Pennsylvania while the fungus continued to produced by a mycelium of one mating type fuses spread in neighboring states. We understand now with a female reproductive structure produced on that there are no simple, effective methods to rid a hypha of a mycelium of a different mating type. the Appalachian forests of C. parasitica spores This fusion results in a cell with two nuclei and ini- because the fungus continues to infect species tiates a complex process that ultimately results in such as white oak, scarlet oak, red maple, and production of a sac called an ascus (plural = asci) shagbark hickory. These species have some resis- that contains haploid ascospores. Each ascospore tance to the infection and thus are not killed, but is capable of forming a new organism (mycelium) they serve as effective hosts for the spread of fun- that can reproduce by an asexual or sexual pro- gal spores to chestnut saplings. Consequently, all cess. Millions of microscopic asci are enclosed attempts to reforest the Appalachian Mountains in a fruiting body called a perithecium (plural = with American chestnut trees are focused on perithecia) (Figure 7) and are ejected through a either finding or creating a variant that can thrive tube into the surrounding environment. Sexual in the presence of C. parasitica. reproduction creates diversity because some of Do variants of the American chestnut that are nat- the genes in each ascospore are derived from urally resistant to C. parasitica exist in the wild? one parent and some are derived from the other The American Chestnut Foundation, the USDA parent that participate in the mating process. Forest Service, and many state forest services are

Continued on Page 4 3 The American Chestnut Tree Returns Continued from Page 3 constantly searching for such variants A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE among the few saplings that have grown to maturity in the wild in the Appalachian Mountains. There are stands of mature American chestnuts that have prospered in areas where the blight is less prevalent. In 1885, Martin Hicks planted nine American chestnuts as a fence row on his farm near West Salem, Wisconsin. The trees produced enough fruit over the next hundred years to create a forest with more than 2,500 chestnut trees. In the last 20 years, most of those trees have succumbed to the blight, but a few are still producing flowers, pollen, and fruit that can be used for breeding purposes. There is a small grove of healthy American chestnut trees in Michigan, including one with a Box Turtles circumference of more than 10 feet. A Our box turtles (Terrapene carolina) are one 115 ft tall American chestnut tree was of four species of box turtles in the U.S. They discovered in Maine in 2015 (Figure 8). can easily be recognized by their domed shell Survival of these pockets of American which is hinged at the bottom and making it chestnut trees is due primarily to a low possible for the turtle to close its shell tightly to incidence of C. parasitica in the area. keep predators out. Their average life span in Consequently, there are currently no the wild is about 50 years but some may live as known naturally-occurring, blight-re- long as 100 years. They are omnivores and eat sistant American chestnut trees that a variety of things, even Amanita mushrooms produce a sufficient supply of nuts to which are poisonous to humans. If you find repopulate Appalachian forests. The ripe blackberries or raspberries in the forest, alternative is to create a genetical- drop some on the ground as box turtles love ly-modified, blight-resistant tree using them. If you see a box turtle trying to cross a either traditional breeding methods road, and if it is safe for you to stop, pick it up or new technologies that incorporate and move it to the side of the road in which it genetic engineering, tissue culture, was heading. It knows where it is going. and/or clonal propagation. Traditional breeding methods will be described in Part 2. Continued on Page 5

Kent Wilcox is a retired scientist who lives in Cedar Mountain, NC. He has been a member of Friends of DuPont Forest since 2002 and served on the

Friends of board for six years. DuPont Forest

4 Continued from Page 4 A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

River Otter The playful North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a member of the weasel family. They can live 8-9 years and weigh as much as 30 pounds. They are equally at home in the water and on land and are occasionally seen at DuPont Forest streams and marshes. They hunt at night and fish are a favorite food, but they also eat amphibians, turtles, and crayfish. Wood Frogs Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) come in varying shades Otters remain active in winter. They can of brown and red. Most individuals have a black hold their breath underwater for some marking over the eyes that looks like a robber’s mask. eight minutes. They are the first frogs to breed in early spring and At about two months old the mother the males can be heard making quack-like calls both pushes the young out of their nest and day and night. In the DuPont Forest the breeding into the water. Otters are natural swim- aggregations are frequently seen in small road-side mers and, with parental supervision, they drainage pools. A single female can lay as many as soon get the hang of it. 1,000 eggs and the tadpoles take about two months to mature. After breeding all of the frogs go back into the forest and remain there until the following spring. Photos and article by Alan Cameron, Friends of DuPont Forest Board Member and 12-year volun- Wood frogs can hibernate in leaf litter because they teer with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. can produce a special antifreeze substance that pre- Friends of He does 90% of his work in DuPont Forest. DuPont Forest vents ice from freezing within their cells, which would be deadly. Ice does form, however, in the spaces between the cells. When the weather warms, the frogs thaw and begin feeding and mating again.

5 FOREST SUPERVISOR’S REPORT

Dear Friends of DuPont Forest, This year is shaping up to be a pivot point in the Forest’s history. New facilities, new property, and new employees will be folded into our dynamic environment. My hope and daily goal is ensure that the NC Forest Service is up to the challenge managing of public safety, natural resource protection, sustainable management, and providing educational opportunities for the public. Here are some updates on those efforts: Jason I. Guidry, Property Acquisition: Forest Supervisor Since my last writing for your newsletter, the Forest has grown by 476 acres acquired through a donation by the DuPont Corporation. This is the result of years of commitment by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the DuPont Corporation, who engaged in near-continuous discussions and problem solving. Bill Yarborough, Assistant to Commissioner Steve Troxler, was instrumental in bringing the parties together and finding broad- based support for the project at the State level. The FODF’s public support through interviews and during public meetings was also a critical ingredi- ent in the eventual acceptance of the property by the State. I want to emphasize to the Friends of DuPont Forest and all who receive this newsletter that the property will be closed to the public for at least several years. This is an imperative step to prop- erly plan out the sustainable uses of the property Figure 1 – Floorplan for the Hooker Falls Restroom before unleashing hundreds of thousands of visitors onto the site. The future use of the property is being planned by the NC Forest Service in concert with the DuPont Forest Advisory Committee, upon which the FODF has a seat. As the plans progress, I will keep the FODF Board informed, provide updates in this newsletter, and through the FODF website. Hooker Falls Bathroom: The design for the new bathroom facility is almost complete (see Figure 1). As you can view, it will be a large facility to accommodate a high-visita- tion area, near the upper parking lot of Hooker Falls Access Area (Figure 2). Form & Function Figure 2 – Site plan for the Hooker Falls Restroom Architecture (Asheville, NC) is under contract to design the building, the wastewater treatment system, and the construction spec- ifications. Once the design is finalized, the construction contract will be awarded through a competitive bid process. Given so many variables, including weather and summer visitation, the timeline for construction is difficult to predict, other than to say that it will almost certainly be completed in 2017. Continued on Page 7 6 Continued from Page 6 Forest Management: Some of our local users may have noticed some forest management activity near the Guion Farm and Tarkiln Branch Trail. We are once again targeting white pine plantations planted in the late 60’s for the purpose of creating habitat diversity across the Forest. This particular treatment is called a seed-tree harvest where most of the mature trees are harvested and a certain amount of trees are left to disperse seeds across the site to kick- start the natural regeneration of a new forest Doug Coggins (far left) with the founding members of (see Figure 3). It is not a common practice in Friends of DuPont Forest standing by Triple Falls. western North Carolina but one we thought worthy of demonstrating on this 15-acre area. Doug Coggins, Founding If you are interested in the natural resource objectives of the Forest, our Land and Member of Friends of Resources Management Plan can be found at http://www.ncforestservice.gov/Contacts/ DuPont Forest Passes pdf/dsf/mgt_plan/DSRF_Land_Resource_ Management_Plan.pdf Away at 77 Doug Coggins, a founding member of Friends of DuPont Forest, passed away on February 23, 2017.

Doug was one of the very first citizens to stand up and call for Governor Hunt to pro- tect and acquire High Falls, Triple Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls inside DuPont State Forest in 2000. He and Ken Shelton organized a meeting at the Hendersonville Library for what would become the beginning of the Figure 3 – Depiction of Seed Tree Harvest; illustration provided by the US Forest Service Friends of the Falls campaign. He worked tirelessly to protect the waterfalls for the duration of the six month struggle. Forest Staffing: As of this writing, we have progressed in Doug was a native and lifelong resident of our hiring process for the nine new full-time Henderson County and a proud veteran who positions but not to the point of hiring. My served in the US Air Force. He retired from hope is that in the next newsletter, we will be General Electric as an electrician after 37 years fully staffed and able to share the names of of employment and served as a deacon of each new employees. For a list of the position Mud Creek Baptist Church. descriptions, check back to the newsletter from the fall of 2016. Those of us who enjoy the DuPont Forest are forever indebted to Doug for speaking Warm Regards, up and making Dupont State Recreational Friends of Jason I. Guidry, Forest Supervisor DuPont Forest Friends of Forest a reality. DuPont Forest

7 PRESIDENT’S REPORT from Bev Parlier Finally! It’s spring! The flowers are com- ing up, trees are budding, and visitation is up at DuPont Forest. The number of peo- ple through the visitor center in February 2017 doubled the numbers we saw in 2016. Looks like my hope expressed in the last newsletter for a quieter year at DuPont is not going to happen. The Friends of DuPont Forest Board of Directors met in January for an all day planning/budget meeting (called the Retreat). Goals for this year were Bev in a favorite place somewhere at DuPont Forest. Photo by Tom Parlier. discussed. One of our top goals is to increase membership, both members and business. If you have friends who love DuPont Forest and are not yet members of Friends of Dupont Forest please ask them to join. We would also like to increase our online presence and our new Executive Director, Sara Landry, is working on that. Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages and be sure to share your amazing DuPont pictures with us online. One of our goals is always to protect the Forest. Friends of DuPont Forest, along with the NC Forest Service staff, strive to educate visitors (waterfall safety), and protect the trails (maintenance projects), and natural resources. In February, board member Alan Cameron conducted a series of well-attended programs at the Transylvania County Public Library on the critters of DuPont Forest). At the Friends of DuPont Forest Annual Meeting in April, (April 18, Henderson County Public Library) my term as president is up. I have served as your president for four years. Much has changed at DuPont during those years! The Hooker Falls pedestrian bridge was built and the Aleen Steinberg Visitor Center was completed. They both opened on the same day! The private property “donut hole” became part of DuPont Forest, and bathrooms for the Hooker Falls Access Area are now in the planning stages. And of course, visitation at DuPont has exploded. The Forest has a very dedicated staff and I have greatly enjoyed working with Forest Supervisor Jason Guidry. With all the changes at DuPont, and the increase in visitation, we all still have our favorite, out of the way, places. That’s one of the things that makes DuPont so special. Finally, the Events Committee has been very busy! Check out the 2017 Events calendar in the newsletter. And don’t forget Tour de Falls, on Mother’s Day weekend May 13-14. Many volunteers are needed!

Friends of See you on the trails ––– DuPont Forest

8 A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR I am thrilled to introduce myself to you all. My name is Sara Landry and as of January 2017, I am the new Executive Director for Friends of DuPont Forest. In fact, I am the first Executive Director of the organization and I couldn’t be more honored. A little about me. I am a native of Western North Carolina and grew up hiking all over these mountains as a camp director’s Sara Landry, kid (any Camp Sequoyah folks out there?). I’ve lived in almost Executive Director every U.S. time zone, but this area was always home base. I started my career in the Peace Corps and have spent the past 15 years in the nonprofit sector. I live in Hendersonville, NC with my amazing 8 year old son and our female cat named George. I am beyond excited for the opportunity to lead Friends of DuPont Forest. I think together we are going

Friends of to do amazing things. DuPont Forest

Tour de Falls is a family friendly guided bus tour TOUR DE of Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Lake Julia in DuPont State Recreational Forest.

FALLS Tour de Falls Parking and Shuttle Service Join the tour at the entrance off Stanton Road just May 13 & 14, 2017 south of High Falls Access Area (aka the doughnut 9:00am - 2:30pm hole entrance). Tour de Falls benefits Friends of DuPont Forest, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to $12 donation 18 YRS+ enhancing the public’s enjoyment of DuPont Forest $6 donation 6 - 17 YRS while protecting its natural and historic resources. We work with the NC Forest Service to improve and maintain 80+ miles of trail system, host educational and forest research projects,

Thank you sponsors!

828.713.2368 | www.dupontforest.com 9 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Walks and Presentations

July 13 April 7 Salamander Talk and Hike* Trout Stocking Walk* TBD High Falls Parking Lot 10am Hooker Falls Parking Lot Contact Alan Cameron Contact Kent Wilcox [email protected] [email protected]

July 26 April 18th Mushroom Hike* 6pm Annual Friends of DuPont Forest Meeting 10am Lake Imaging Contact Aleen Steinberg Henderson County Public Library 828.885.2477

April 22 August 24 Wildflower Hike* Mountain Medicine Talk* 10am Holmes Educational State Forest 2pm High Falls Parking Lot Contact Amy Kinsella Contact Aleen Steinburg [email protected] 828.885.2477

May 13 and 14 September 30th Tour de Falls Lake Julia Canoe Tour* 9:00am - 2:30pm TBD Fawn Lake, Contact Kent Wilcox [email protected] June 17 Cherokee Talk* October 21 and 22 1pm Aleen Steinberg Visitor Center Tour de Falls Classroom, Contact Aleen Steinberg 9am - 2:30pm 828.885.2477

October 29 June 23 Moonlight Hike* Chestnut Tree Talk (Open to the public) Contact Bev Parlier [email protected] 1:30pm Cedar Mountain Community Center, Contact Kent Wilcox [email protected] December 21 Winter Solstice Hike* Contact Bev Parlier [email protected]

*Members Only event. Details about each event will be shared with Friends of DuPont Forest members via email and Facebook. 10 Trail Workdays Litter Pick Up 9am Lake Imaging Parking Lot 2nd Saturday of each month Contact Peg Bresnahan with a few exceptions. [email protected] Contact Lyle Burgman [email protected] April 29th May 6 April 8 July 15 May 13 – Tour de Falls September 23 June 3rd – National Trails Day November 18 July 8 August 12 Board Meetings September 9 October 14 May 2 July 11 Please Note: You must be physically September 5 able to hike a couple of miles carrying November 7 hand tools and able to dig with a shovel or trim with lopers.

BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPS Join or renew online at DuPontForest.com

BLACK BEAR MEMBERSHIPS

BLUE GHOST Black Forest Family Camping Resort MEMBERSHIPS

11 JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Membership I would like to volunteer... q $25 Friend (1 Year) q Trail Building & Work Crew q $35 Family (1 Year) q Adopt-a-Hwy Litter Pick-Up q $50 Partner (1 Year) q Special Events (Tour de Falls, Canoe Day, etc) q $100 Supporter (1 Year) q Special Forest Interest/Educational Programs q $250 Hooker Falls Contributor (1 Year) q Membership Services q $500 Triple Falls Contributor (1 Year) q Grant Writing q $1,000 High Falls Contributor (1 Year) q DuPont State Forest History Program q $1,500 Forest Angel (1 Year) q Fundraising Efforts q $______Additional Donation q Other ______(Donations are tax deductible)

Name: ______Mailing Address: ______

Email: ______City: ______

Phone: ______State: ______Zip: ______q Save paper! Email my newsletter to the address listed above.

MAIL THIS FORM TO: Friends of DuPont Forest – P.O. Box 2107 – Brevard, NC 28712

of the Forest through education and recreation while protecting its natural and historic resources. historic and natural its protecting while recreation and education through Forest the of

Friends of DuPont Forest (FODF) FODF is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to enhancing appreciation appreciation enhancing to dedicated organization volunteer nonprofit a is FODF (FODF) Forest DuPont of Friends

Aleen Steinberg Aleen

Jim Plick Plick Jim

Jeff Jennings Jeff

Lynn Harton Lynn

Tom Fanslow Tom

Bill Edmonds Bill

Dick Childs Dick

Alan Cameron Alan

Lyle Burgmann Lyle

Jerry Brown Jerry

Dan Bresnahan Dan

Sara Landry, Executive Director Executive Landry, Sara

Cheryl Calvert, Secretary Calvert, Cheryl

Terri Wallace, Treasurer Wallace, Terri

Helen Lee, Vice President Vice Lee, Helen

Bev Parlier, President Parlier, Bev

Board Members Board

dupontforest.com

28712 NC Brevard, DuPont Forest DuPont

2107 Box O. P.

Friends Friends of