In part 2 of this month’s episode, the guys share how past and present research come together to create a realistic plan for bringing the American chestnut back, and Erik shares more about how the Allegany Wildlands fit into the Conservancy’s ambitious effort to create the Western NY Wildway, a network of connected protected lands stretching from Pennsylvania to the Great Lakes and beyond.

The episode was recorded on August 14, 2021 at the Allegany Wildlands.

Episode Notes

During the episode, Bill mentioned the corn geneticist Charles Burnham and wondered if he was one of the founders of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). He was! From the TACF’s Wikipedia page: “TACF was founded in 1983 by a group of prominent plant scientists, including Nobel Prize-winning plant breeder Norman Borlaug; Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden; independent chestnut researcher Philip Rutter; and the late Charles Burnham, a Minnesota corn geneticist.

Links to the Western NY Land Conservancy

Visit the website of the Western New York Land Conservancy to find out more about their vital conservation efforts.

Find out more about the Allegany Wildlands, including the efforts to preserve it.

Explore the WNY Land Conservancy’s Western New York Wildway, their ambitious new initiative to create an extensive series of protected lands that connect the vast forests of northern Pennsylvania to the Great Lakes, central NY, the Adirondacks, and beyond.

Other Episode-related Links

The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) – sign up for their newsletter or consider joining the organization.

Check out TACF’s page on their 3BUR approach to reintroducing the American chestnut.

For up-to-date info on the Darling 58 tree and related efforts to restore the American chestnut, visit the chestnut site at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

For more info on the Darling 58 chestnut tree, check out the video: Bringing Back an American Icon

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Works Cited

Aucott, M. and Parker, R.A., 2021. Medical biotechnology as a paradigm for forest restoration and introduction of the transgenic American chestnut. Conservation Biology, 35(1), pp.190-196.

Candeias, M. (2017) In Defense of Plants: Ep. 107 - Chestnut Blight: Causes and Solutions [Podcast]. May 7, 2017. Available at: https://www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2017/5/7/ep-107-chestnut-blight-causes-and-solutions (Accessed 7 August, 2021).

Candeias, M. (2017) In Defense of Plants: Ep. 272 - Restoring the American Chestnut [Podcast]. July 5, 2020. Available at: https://www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2020/7/5/ep-272-restoring-the-american-chestnut?fbclid=IwAR08lmeHJwDK-vkbDuyC7YBx22mKtNEoApwibbpGG-U1Plf_ciXZDXjhiNE (Accessed 7 August, 2021).