The American Chestnut Tree with Doug Gillis

Segment 2, March 23rd, 2024 Over one hundred years ago the American Chestnut tree had a considerable impact on the landscape of eastern North America.  This large, deciduous tree was a part of the diet of wildlife & people, it provided wood for buildings & furniture, & provided shade to the canopy of its habitat.  Then a blight occurred. The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is the largest advocate & fundraiser for helping bring back a blight resistant version of the now endangered tree. TACF active member Doug Gillis joined Carolina Outdoor host, Bill Bartee about the impact & recent mistake that occurred to the modern research involving the chestnut tree. Show Highlights: The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) has 5,000 members The passion of the chestnut comes from its presence in American lore but also the hope to reintroduce it to the American forests It is currently endangered but not extinct.  The blight strikes when it reaches a certain age & height The hybrid tree Darling 58 handled by SUNY-ESF was labelled incorrectly causing a genetic mistake Dino Grandoni article in the Washington Post describing the mistake Find a place to volunteer & learn more about the American chestnut tree Things You’ll Learn by Listening: It is estimated that the blight decimated the American Chestnut tree by 3-4 billion.  There is an April Strategic Planning session in Virginia to consider the future moves of the TACF. The Carolina Outdoors is powered by the Charlotte fly shop, Jesse Brown’s