Status on obtaining blight resistant American Chestnut tree seedlings

[kristopher]

PDF from website:

Official Statement to the Press
The American Chestnut Foundation
February 7, 2008


Developed by the Science Cabinet and approved by the TACF Board April 2008. This
has been developed for TACF representatives to use when contacted by the press or
questioned on the distribution or availability of resistance seeds or trees. Please direct
any questions on the statement to Dr. Sisco or to Communications Director Meghan
Jordan.

The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is breeding chestnut trees for ability to
survive the blight disease, which killed almost all our native American chestnut. TACF’s
goal is to confer on American chestnut the ability to thrive in our nation’s woodlands, as
it once did. Last fall, TACF began harvesting nuts that it expects will be suitable for
planting back into the forest. However, these breeding lines are still in the testing phase
and their value needs to be proven on many forest sites until 2015 to 2020.

A gradual increase in seed production is expected over the next few years. These will be
distributed to cooperators who are assisting in a formal, rigorous testing program. In
addition, seeds that are not needed for this purpose will be distributed principally to
members of TACF for informal testing. At the same time, TACF is continuing its
breeding program to make further gains in disease resistance and forest competitiveness.

Text from site:
Seed & Seedling Order Form
Pure American Chestnut Seeds & Seedlings.
We do not sell full size American chestnut trees, only seeds or seedlings.

Purchasing American chestnuts seeds and seedlings from TACF is a member benefit. If you are not already a member, you can join right on the order form.

Prices are as follows (also on seed & seedling order form) -
5 seedlings...$35.00
10 seedlings $60.00
25 seedlings $125.00
50 seedlings $200.00
Seed Kit $50.00

The Deadline is March 1st for seedlings
to be delivered in Spring 2010. Any orders taken after March 1, 2010 will be delivered Spring 2011.
Seed kits for a December delivery, the deadline for ordering is October 1, 2010.

Seedling orders for some southern areas (FL,TN,AL,GA,MS,SC) will be filled in December, deadline was October 1, 2009.

http://www.acf.org/seeds_seedlings.php


I'll be ordering 10. Plan to plant 5 and give the other 5 to friends.

[asjr]

1. I may be delusional but I really think

I can remember actual chestnut trees.

[appal_jack]

2. you probably remember the re-sprouts

Following the actual chestnut blight that killed most of the mature trees, chestnuts continued to re-sprout from the roots. Some hardy and isolated examples are still re-sprouting today, although most of those die back just as they enter maturity/flowering. Generally the chestnut trees are 6" to 10" diameter at this time, and they will usually die-back within a few years of the blight cankers first appearing.

If you recall fully mature/bearing chestnut trees, then you are recalling one of the following:

1) Chinese chestnut trees - I have several of these at my place. They are blight resistant, but not as huge or majestic when mature as the American Chestnut.

or

2) You may have lived near one of the very few American Chestnut trees that survived the blight as mature specimens and continued to bear well into the 20th Century. TACF gathered its seed stock from these trees to begin its breeding and back-crossing programs that resulted in the trees described in the OP.

If you do indeed recall mature, healthy American Chestnuts, you can count yourself lucky indeed. I hope that we all live to see the day when a re-invigorated American Chestnut tree again spreads across this continent...

-app

[BrklynLiberal]

3. yes!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mimitabby]

4. will not ship west of the mississippi

[kristopher]

5. They provide a link to a list of suppliers who can. nt

[NickB79]

6. I wonder how they determine "west of the Mississippi"

My house is only about 40 miles west of the Mississippi (south-central MN). Since the Mississippi flows right through much of Minnesota, do they allow Minnesotans to buy seed or not? I'll have to send an email to ask.

[NickB79]

7. I don't know if I would go for this offer

What they are selling are purebred American Chestnuts, not their crossbred blight-resistant ones.

"Currently, TACF members are able to purchase PURE , not resistant, and guaranteed to blight American chestnut seeds and seedlings through our website, http://acf.org/seeds_seedlings.php" (bold is theirs).

You could get lucky and not encounter blight for a couple of decades or more, but most of these trees will be dead within 20 years. I may be in the minority, but when I plant a shade tree I expect it to outlive me, and I'm only 30.

[kristopher]

8. Thank You.

That isn't on the page you linked to, but it is on the order form. I had downloaded the form but hadn't yet filled it out.

After reading your post I called them and suggested they post the fact they are selling the traditional variety (and not the genetically modified one) on the "seed/seeling" webpage. They seemed concerned and said they will try to make it more clear.

The person explained that they have been selling the traditional ones for years as a means of preserving the genetic material, and that this is the first year they have had any of the new variety for distribution. It is still in the testing phase to see if it can withstand the blight with wider distribution over a variety geographic and climatic conditions. This evolution in purpose is what led to the omission on the webpage.

My apologies for not picking that up and my thanks to Nick for sharing the information.