FALL 2019 ~ ISSUE 3 VOL. 33 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT FOUNDATION A BENEFIT TO MEMBERS Mud Packing ~ Science Meeting ~ American Chestnut Natural Range ~ Breeding Plan ~ Hypovirulence FALL 2019 ~ ISSUE 3 VOL. 33 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT FOUNDATION 1 3 12 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE NEWS FROM TACF SCIENCE MEETING from Lisa Thomson Mud Packing 2019 Summer Indiana Surviving American Science Meeting Chestnut Trees American Chestnut Shapes Tennessee Wisconsin Lumber Wholesaler 14 16 18 ON THE FARM VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT RSC COLUMN Meadowview Harvest Season Hill Craddock & Paola Zannini Natural Range of the American Chestnut 23 BREEDING PLAN UPDATE 27 39 40 SCIENCE IN MEMORY AND REFLECTIONS ON A RECIPE IN HONOR Is Seed Stratification Necessary? Bûche aux marrons Hypovirulence and Backcross Breeding American Chestnut, Groundcover, and Ectomycorrhizal Colonization A BENEFIT TO MEMBERS PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE DEAR CHESTNUT FRIENDS, The first half of 2019 was marked with exciting new scientific discoveries, which shed new light on our breeding program, coupled with unique external challenges, making us resolute to stay the course towards mission success. As a result, we are emerging out of this time stronger and more determined than ever to use all of the resources and research at our disposal to ultimately restore the American chestnut species. In April of this year, after extensive data analyses based on genomic testing and mapping, our director of science Dr. Jared Westbrook, along with his scientific collaborators, learned that the inherited traits for blight resistance are much more complex than originally hypothesized in the Burnham Plan, created decades ago. Since our founding in 1983, the field of genomics has Lisa Thomson burgeoned in scope and affordability, which we have embraced to unlock President and CEO the answers to blight resistance at the molecular level. These new discoveries would not be possible without the confidence and generous support from a great number of private foundations, philanthropists, donors and members. In July, 73 chapter science leaders, board members and staff gathered in Abingdon, VA to help chart a new course in the breeding program. The atmosphere of this meeting was one of renewed energy and resolve (see page 12). We are intentionally embracing new technologies to ensure we are not only using one pathway to our goal of restoring a keystone species. Multiple pathways is the theme behind our 3BUR science protocol: Breeding, Biotechnology and Biocontrol United for Restoration, now being implemented in real time. It is going to take all the methods in 3BUR to bring back our tree. To learn more, read the article by Dr. Westbrook on page 23 about our collective path forward. We all agree that this is an audacious, long-term conservation rescue mission never before attempted at this scale, which is why we need to use all available knowledge and resources to reach our goals. Let us continue to embody our core values: Optimism, Patience, Science-based Decisions, Innovation, Integrity, and Collaboration. Our mission is based on hope and this will carry us forward to overcome any challenges we may face. We will continue keeping you informed of our progress through the eSprout newsletter and updates on social media. Thank you for staying with us throughout this amazing journey; you are the soul of this foundation and we need each one of you to support us as we continue to grow and thrive. With gratitude, Lisa Thomson, President and CEO The American Chestnut Foundation Follow me on Twitter (@MadameChestnut). TheThe NEW Journal Journal of The of TheAmerican American Chestnut Chestnut Foundation Foundation ~ 1 Gathered Chestnuts Laurence Grossman, winner of TACF’s 2018 Chestnut Photo Contest, captured this vivid photo of burs and nuts that were gathered from a MD-TACF orchard in Montgomery County, MD. WHAT WE DO The mission of The American Chestnut Foundation is to return the iconic American chestnut to its native range. [email protected] acf.org CONTACT US facebook.com/americanchestnut Instagram.com/tacf1983 twitter.com/chestnut1904 TACF National Office Mid-Atlantic Regional Office North Central Regional Office 50 N. Merrimon Avenue The American Chestnut Pennsylvania State University Suite 115 Foundation 206 Forest Resources Lab Asheville, NC 28804 900 Natural Resources Drive University Park, PA 16802 (828) 281-0047 Charlottesville, VA 22903 (814) 863-7192 (828) 281-0047 Meadowview Research Farms Southern Regional Office 29010 Hawthorne Drive New England Regional Office 50 N. Merrimon Avenue Meadowview, VA 24361-3349 UVM Aiken Forestry Service Suite 115 (276) 944-4631 Labs / USFS NRS Asheville, NC 28804 705 Spear Street (434) 906-9312 South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 999-8706 OFFICERS EMERITUS MEMBERS Jules Smith, Media & DO WE HAVE YOUR CHAIRMAN: Essie Burnworth (posthumously) Communications Manager Dr. Brian McCarthy, OH Dr. Gary Carver Dr. Jared Westbrook, EMAIL ADDRESS? IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR: Herbert F. Darling, Jr. Director of Science Michael D. Doochin, TN Hugh Irwin Shana Zimnoch, SECRETARY: Dr. William G. Lord Gifts and Records Specialist Share it with us to William Jay Cude, TN Dr. William L. MacDonald MEADOWVIEW Glen Rea receive additional TREASURER: Laura Barth, Barbara Tormoehlen, OH Rufin Van Bossuyt Horticulture and Pathology updates about our SENIOR SCIENCE ADVISOR: Richard Will Specialist Dr. Kim Steiner, PA CHIEF SCIENTIST EMERITUS Eric Jenkins, work as well as SCIENCE AND Dr. Frederick V. Hebard Tree Breeding Coordinator TECHNOLOGY CHAIR : Dan McKinnon, exclusive TACF Steve Barilovits, III, NC HONORARY DIRECTORS Director of Farm Operations PROMOTION AND President Jimmy Carter Jim Tolton, member benefits. OUTREACH CHAIR : Dr. Richard A. Jaynes Farm Maintenance Technician Catherine Mayes, VA Mrs. Mary Belle Price Brandon Yañez-Breeding, Email LEGAL COUNSEL: Dr. Peter H. Raven Research Technician Donald C. Willeke, Esq., MN Philip A. Rutter REGIONAL SCIENCE [email protected] PRESIDENT & CEO: Dr. Edward O. Wilson Lisa Thomson COORDINATORS so you can STAFF Sara Fitzsimmons, BOARD OF DIRECTORS ASHEVILLE North Central, and Director of Restoration begin receiving Yurij Bihun, VT/NH Lisa Thomson, President & CEO Kendra Collins, New England Dr. Hill Craddock, TN Betsy Gamber, these electronic Dr. Deborah Delmer, NC Vice President of Operations Ben Jarrett, Southern Dr. Carolyn Howes Keiffer, OH Judy Antaramian, Thomas Saielli, Mid-Atlantic communications! Dr. Gregory Miller, OH Membership Coordinator EDITORIAL Allen Nichols, NY Samantha Bowers, Grants Manager Design & Layout: Lisa Alford Z. Cartter Patten, TN David Kaufman-Moore, Dr. Jeanne Romero-Severson, IN Donor Relations Manager CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS Bradford Stanback, NC Cherin Marmon-Saxe, Scott Carlberg Bruce Wakeland, IN Executive Coordinator Michael Popke John Wenderoth, DE Heather Nelson, Controller 2 ~ A Benefit to Members NEWS FROM TACF Mud Packing: A SIMPLE METHOD FOR THE PRESERVATION OF BLIGHT-SUSCEPTIBLE AMERICAN CHESTNUT By Erik Carlson, Research Project Assistant and Vernon Coffey, Research Support Specialist, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse NY In the effort to restore the American chestnut, three main techniques have taken precedence: biotechnology, breeding, and biocontrol (the 3BUR approach). While biotechnology and breeding focus on the production of new resistant trees, biocontrols are methods of directly treating the effects of blight infection on susceptible trees. The future of the American chestnut to kill the roots and underground will focus on the production of portions of the tree. The parts of resistant trees, but in the meantime, the tree that are beneath the soil non-resistant wild type American are protected from the pathogen by trees must be maintained in order to the teeming diversity of natural soil produce pollinated crosses. These microbiota. The pathogen is unable trees are susceptible to blight and to compete with the overwhelming will eventually become infected and presence of microbes or possibly suffer from cankers. In order to keep particular antagonistic microbes. these trees healthy enough to grow Mud packing takes advantage of to sufficient size to produce flowers this mechanism and raises the soil and nuts, the effects of blight need to places on the tree where blight to be minimized as much as possible. has taken hold in order to mitigate At SUNY-ESF, we are employing the infection. More background this technique to help maintain information on mud packing can be mature wild-type “mother” trees for found here: http://bit.ly/2MUgkT1. crossing with the ‘Darling’ blight- tolerant American chestnut trees. This How to mud pack outcrossing is important to build a When a blight infection on a stem is genetically diverse and regionally discovered, it’s better to act sooner adapted restoration population. rather than later in order to minimize damage to the tree. That said, even Mud packing, aka soil compress, large cankers can be treated with this is a simple biocontrol technique method. A description of mud packing first described by Weidlich in the can be found at this link: http://bit. Proceedings of the International ly/2Th4gwk. Below is the method Chestnut Symposium in 19781 we use with slight modifications. that takes advantage of a familiar phenomenon: the chestnut’s ability First, the surface of the canker to survive underground. Although should be removed with a sharp blight is capable of killing American tool. A variety of