Comments
thexylom OP t1_izappn4 wrote
The study and report cited in the article show that the effects of soil improvements and soil carbon sequestration can already be measured in as little as five years, so there is hope!
Kgeezy91 t1_izarlwy wrote
Wow, if that study proves accurate that’s incredibly positive given how long chestnut reforestation takes.
buyongmafanle t1_izdxeir wrote
> Though, it would likely take centuries before there is any measurable difference?
That's no reason to not at least work toward a useful goal.
RangerBumble t1_izalccg wrote
Me from the back of the conference hall hoping they play my favourites: "Do Hazelnut next"
mem_somerville t1_izblr16 wrote
I'm not a huge fan of the Chinese chestnut strategy--but hopefully the American chestnut approval comes along soon and we can start sinking carbon with those massive trees again.
Public comment is open at the US Federal Gubmint site. Tell them how much you want chestnuts restored--how good for the environment, etc.
RutherfordBHays t1_ize62gq wrote
Commented support! Was not aware that a blight resistant version had been developed. Great to see this species saved from extinction
mem_somerville t1_izg0wb0 wrote
Thank you. I think it's getting close, and I am monitoring the comments as usual. There are anti-chestnut copy-pastas as always, but a lot of genuine support too.
thexylom OP t1_izdfwfo wrote
Can you elaborate a little bit about why you prefer the American chestnut over the Chinese chestnut?
marcusregulus t1_izeixui wrote
The American chestnut is the native species, and as such, has adapted characteristics enabling it to be a competitive forest tree (tall and straight, climate adaptations etc.) that the Chinese tree somewhat lacks. The blight resistant American chestnut tree under development by TACF and SUNY is a transgenic organism. Meaning that a gene from wheat has been inserted (oxalate oxidase.)
We eat this gene in massive quantities every day, but you know how some people are about transgenic technology.
mem_somerville t1_izg0q1z wrote
As u/marcusregulus says, it's non-native. I don't know why people want this when every other times people talk about introducing species they say 'cane toad' and 'purple loosestrife' and those god-forsaken water chestnuts that I pulled out of the Mystic River for years.
Why don't they see that here? I ask the same thing every time someone wants Wolbachia instead of GMO mosquitoes and end up just rolling my eyes back in my head. People who claim to be environmentalists somehow can't figure this out.
Anyway: the American chestnut is what should be used.
[deleted] t1_izh3srj wrote
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Reckless_and_Radiant t1_izc3p3z wrote
Chestnuts were a huge mast ecology. The Passenger pigeon depended on it.
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thexylom OP t1_izakwku wrote
Link to study (open-access): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167880922000949
Link to report submitted to the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program: https://projects.sare.org/project-reports/one19-354/
TechnoArcher t1_izb5d6m wrote
Should we tell the scientists who did this study that chestnut will NOT survive the climate change toward drought and higher temperatures ?
thexylom OP t1_izbvm2e wrote
Given that the American Chestnut once grew across the entire eastern United States, there is much more space for raw numbers to bounce back before climate change comes into play
TechnoArcher t1_izdkf3j wrote
Chestnut is one of the species listed to be critically endangered by climate change. I have 2 chestnuts in my garden (in Europe), a young one (15years) and an old one (more than 30 years) they both required watering for 3 of the past 5 summers. Who will go and water the new ones planted when it will be 130F ?
DavidBSkate t1_izekxbe wrote
It’ll be a while until the eastern us is 130. It’s rare for Death Valley and the Mojave desert (where I live) to hit that.
TechnoArcher t1_izf1a22 wrote
120 in Lytton, in 2021, remember ? Exceptional until it becomes usual and then 130 will be exceptional and... they will become norms... But by then chestnut will not be the only one struggling.
An european study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8309319/
Beech and chestnut have been flagged as the first trees to suffer from climate change. In Europe we started to replace green oak and chestnut killed by drought with cedar and other trees drought resistant.
The efforts and resources to grow a young tree cannot be wasted on the wrong specie knowing it will only become ever more difficult to grow them in the future if they need to be replaced.
squanchingonreddit t1_izbssuc wrote
Chestnut once covered the whole Eastern Forest range.
TechnoArcher t1_izdkmzj wrote
Sometime ago climate was mild and forgiving, not anymore and the future one even less...
squanchingonreddit t1_izf1zdt wrote
I literally went to school for forestry. Stfu
TechnoArcher t1_izf51ru wrote
Good you might be able to understand that:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8309319/
squanchingonreddit t1_izf68nu wrote
The American Chestnut fairs much better than others in America this study doesn't even look into them.
While climate change will push their range north that means they will be able to be grown in Canada along with much of their historical range.
Also they have larger nuts and bigger crops than the Chinese Chestnut. So it's quite exciting for the future.
TechnoArcher t1_izg04v7 wrote
Here is the right study to read:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266690052100037X
Some people already thought about it...
SpeciousSatyr t1_izaos8d wrote
I had suspected as much. Considering how much topsoil was depleted in the Eastern U.S. following the devastation of the American Chestnut blight during the 20th Century, I wonder if massive re-forestation would improve the soil across the range? Though, it would likely take centuries before there is any measurable difference?