casualdadeqms t1_j27coxm wrote
Cool article! We maintain a large private American Chestnut nursery, housing just under 300 genetically altered trees. We've been involved for about a decade and it's been pretty cool observing the advancements and having a small role.
Have some pics!
4channeling t1_j28l6lo wrote
Say some permaculture/homesteader folks wanted some to grow, how could they go about that?
casualdadeqms t1_j28rlge wrote
It's an application process that one can qualify for after maintaining state-level conservation contracts for a set amount of time, but it's entirely possible this has changed since our own contracts were established.
We keep contracts in the state of Kentucky for native game grasses and some projects built around the reintroduction of elk and black bear. Both our Fish & Wildlife and Forestry officers brought the project to our attention and served as our recommendations for entry into the program.
ringobob t1_j29vs2e wrote
Curious about the necessity of a contract, is it because the genetics are being closely controlled so you specifically want to avoid this getting out into the wild until you can ensure it won't become too good at out competing other native plant life?
casualdadeqms t1_j2a3v04 wrote
It's a safety and security concern. More centered around protecting the investments in tech, methodology, specific locations, and information in general. It isn't a hypercompetitive, fast growing tree or anything like that. You'd be genuinely surprised at how sensitive they can be to fertilizing.
Edited to note that even maintaining a tract they'll not disclose the specific location to us of many operations, only general areas. There are some secrets required to keep everything safe!
GArockcrawler t1_j28opw4 wrote
piling on. I am curious, too.
Margali t1_j2a6l6j wrote
Really cool, I have an actual unmodified American Chestnut in my yard [and run through some money every year having an arborist treat it to keep it healthy, at his suggestion we didn't put it on the registry as people have been known to go and 'harvest' cuttings in a nonhealthy way damaging the poor tree] One of my dad's work friends had as his hobby tramping around looking for the trees and bringing back cuttings to husband, he gave us 2 one of which was killed when a car hit it and broke the trunk off.
casualdadeqms t1_j2a8bdt wrote
That is amazing! I've yet to see an unmodified American Chestnut in person because of their *incredible* rarity and find myself jealous! The advice provided you entirely makes sense. The value of the wood probably plays a major role in why they keep the specific locations secret while trying to bring back the population. A single railroad tie of American Chestnut that is in great condition can go for tens of thousands of dollars. The "big" thing about American Chestnut? It stays in great condition for a really, really long time.
Margali t1_j2a93hr wrote
I have a slight underground railroad going handing out nuts for people to grow - keeping them on the east coast and warning them they will have to use an arborist for the fungicide to keep them healthy.
lunchesandbentos t1_j29apkg wrote
I really want to grow chestnuts but most are too big for my suburban food forest.Have been looking at the dwarf ones but not sure how resistant they are to blight. Can the normally larger ones be pruned small and kept small? (Less than 20ft?)
casualdadeqms t1_j29tfmc wrote
I honestly don't know about pruning and am not familiar with dwarf chestnuts. It's something I can ask about the next time we've team on-site, which should be late April-ish. We've simply planted and let grow in our operation with space constraints being of no concern. It's seasonal interaction and largely passive at this point in time.
For what it's worth, when our contract was established there were an estimated 2900-3200 American Chestnut trees. We are told our contract was the largest private one at the time, with an ~1100 tree contract in a Northern US/CAN region being the closest comparable- clearly dwarfing our own.
The pictured trees have since been deemed "obsolete", as they were a run sharing the genetics of a Japanese hardwood, but we still expect 30-40% to survive into maturity and continue to study, monitor, and maintain.
If I understood things correctly, borrowed traits from wheat and strawberries have yielded the outcomes we've all been hoping for.
lunchesandbentos t1_j29zfxo wrote
For a lot of gardeners, space constraints are a huge thing when it comes to whether or not we’d add them… I wonder if genetically modified dwarf ones would incentivize people to add them to their backyards. Either way, thank you for the info and it’s exciting stuff you guys are doing!!!
casualdadeqms t1_j2a55sd wrote
I completely understand the concerns around space and area efficiency in farming (and gardening!!) and it's a conversation that should definitely continue as we strive to achieve our best! As far as dwarf chestnuts go, I would be curious to investigate that as well. We will definitely make it a point to pick the brains of the smart people, as we're just simple farmers with the land to provide some opportunity!
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