 hybrid chestnuts in bloom (photo by jhy) |
compiled from several sources. By jhy
Wild American Chestnuts are returning. In Michigan, there are surviving trees throughout the state. One population is known in Grand Traverse County.
A study done in 1981 by Lawrence G. Brewer of Western Michigan University documented 224 sites where American Chestnut, Castanea dentata, are found. Of these 140 were blight free.
Many experts believe the trees can only be saved by hybridizing with other species, or by genetic engineering. Meanwhile, some trees simply continue to survive without contracting the disease, or perhaps more surprisingly, they continue to grow and reproduce even with the disease.
There are several large American Chestnut trees at Crystal Valley ski area. I have not been able to confirm this definitively because the American Chestnut society wants leaves/ buds and not seed pods to verify the identification. I'm not sure how to get that evidence on a 50-foot tall tree. Perhaps after a big storm some branches might come down, but I haven't been able to get out there at such a time.
However, it appears that one location on Brewer's map may be at Crystal Valley.
This video by the Global Justice Ecology Project showcases a large, healthy population of American Chestnut in Vermont on the property of renowned naturalist Dr. Bernd Heinrich.
"The trees' resilience challenges the widespread claim that only genetic engineering can restore the species. Planted by blue jays and squirrels, these trees show us something far more hopeful: the wild American chestnut is already returning, naturally," said Heinrich.
See the study by Lawrence G Brewer (a pdf)
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