American Chestnut /Public Comment Period
General Topic
Contributors to this thread:
Ace 12-Oct-20
Catscratch 12-Oct-20
sticksender 12-Oct-20
WV Mountaineer 12-Oct-20
Ace 12-Oct-20
tkjwonta 12-Oct-20
t-roy 12-Oct-20
Catscratch 12-Oct-20
squirrel 12-Oct-20
keepemsharp 12-Oct-20
Ace 12-Oct-20
Catscratch 12-Oct-20
From: Ace
12-Oct-20

Ace's embedded Photo
Ace's embedded Photo

Ace's Link
As some of you may know the State University of NY (Environmental Science & Forestry) has developed a Blight Resistant American Chestnut Tree by inserting a single gene from the wheat plant that allows the tree to fight off and survive Chestnut Blight, a fungus which has essentially wiped out the American Chestnut Tree.

Because this process makes the tree a Transgenic Organism (a GMO) the University must apply to the USDA (and the EPA and FDA) for approval for Non-Regulated Status for the tree, to allow it to be grown outside of carefully contained test gardens. This tree just might be the most intensely studied tree in history and it's been determined to be safe, and it reacts in every way just like an American Chestnut, because it IS an American Chestnut with the full compliment of American Chestnut genes, plus 1 from wheat.

SUNY ESF did not patent this process, which assures that there is no profit motive, and demonstrates that their intentions are pure: to save the American Chestnut tree from extinction.

There is a Public Comment period on this application until October 19, 2020 in case anyone would like to submit an opinion, hopefully one in favor of approving the Petition for Non-Regulated Status for this tree.

What's this have to do with bow hunting you might ask, well imagine a tree, more prevalent than all the oaks, producing more mast than oaks, that bears every year, and its nuts are tastier to deer ( and humans) than acorns. I'm thinking that pigs, deer squirrels and bears that eat chestnuts will be far better eating than those that eat acorns too! Oh, and the wood is rot resistant and way lighter than other hardwoods of the same strength.

Some information to read:

One Page Summary of the Transgenic Tree: https://www.acf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/web3-transgenic-tree.pdf

Using Science to Save the American Chestnut: https://www.acf.org/science-strategies/3bur/

FAQ on the Application: https://www.acf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/web3-faqs.pdf

To submit a comment: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/19/2020-18135/state-university-of-new-york-college-of-environmental-science-and-forestry-petition-for#open-comment

Happy to discuss this further or to provide additional info.

Thanks,

From: Catscratch
12-Oct-20
Thanks for posting! This tree and possible reintroduction is a pretty big deal!

From: sticksender
12-Oct-20
Maybe they can do Ash next.

From: WV Mountaineer
12-Oct-20
Yes it is. It will surely benefit forest ecosystem and the American timber industry will likely be able to re-write trade policy with every developed country in this world concerning imports I’m all for it.

From: Ace
12-Oct-20
I encourage everyone to send in a comment in support. It can't hurt, and it may just help convince the government agencies involved that the American public cares about this and that we're paying attention.

And yes, similar techniques just might be able to help save the Ash trees, the Elm and others.

From: tkjwonta
12-Oct-20
Comment sent, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

From: t-roy
12-Oct-20
This is entirely a separate species than the Dunstan Chestnut, correct?

From: Catscratch
12-Oct-20
Dunstan is a hybrid cross between American and Chinese. I think it's mostly American. The Chinese chestnut is blight resistant. I'm growing the Chinese but would shift to American's if I could. Even with this development I'm outside of the American range so it's doubtful I would have much luck.

From: squirrel
12-Oct-20
I found a chestnut on my dad's farm and was so excited to find two 6-7 " trees bearing nuts, within a couple years they both died. If you understand what the chestnut did in our forests back before the blight you will understand that it's loss was of immense importance, bring it back!

From: keepemsharp
12-Oct-20
I have 10 year old Dunstans that I watered daily in summer for years, some are 9 ft. tall and have never produced a nut. Maybe they don't like Kansas flinthills country.

From: Ace
12-Oct-20
T-Roy, Catscratch is right, a Dunston is a Chinese-American hybrid. They claim to be largley American, but to me they look like they have more Chinese than American characteristics. Maybe it really doesn't matter that much. They also don't taste nearly as good to me as either Chinese or American nuts, but I guess the deer like em, so that's a plus.

Catscratch, there are definitely people growing Chestnuts in KS, in fact pretty much anywhere you have acidic soil and enough rainfall, you'll probably be good to go.

By the way, that picture I posted above is a Chinese-American hybrid tree I found here in CT. I do have 7 pure America seedlings growing that someday soon I hope to cross with Transgenic trees (or their pollen) when it gets approved. The expectation is that half of the resulting trees will be blight tolerant.

From: Catscratch
12-Oct-20
I've been growing a handful of Chinese for several yrs. They are slooow for me! Neighbors aerial sprayer drifted my place this summer and they took a hard hit. :(

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