American Chestnut: History, Ecology and Restoration (Online)
Once one of the most abundant hardwood species in eastern North America, the chestnut succumbed to a fungal blight in the early 1900s. It was a keystone species, and its annual abundant crop of sweet, nutritious nuts supported vast populations of native birds (including the passenger pigeon), and mammals. Dr. Mark McCollough, President of the Maine Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation, will talk about the exciting work being done in Maine to restore the American chestnut. Through back-cross breeding with the disease-resistant Chinese chestnut to the latest in genetic engineering, there is new hope that this keystone species can be restored for its many values to forest ecology, wildlife, humans, and to combat climate change.
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