KY-TACF Annual Meeting, 2015

The Kentucky State Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation will be holding their annual meeting on August 15, 2015, at the Pine Mountain State Resort Park.  Make your plans to attend, as this is open to both members and non-members!

There will be a silent auction taking place as a fundraiser for the chapter, as well as an array of presentations concerning what is going on with the American chestnut in Kentucky at this time!

As additional information becomes available, I will update this posting to include it.

UPDATE:  The meeting will be taking place in the Ray Harm Room, beginning at 9:30 AM (Eastern Time) and should finish up around 3:30 PM.  Agenda can be found below.

Hope to see you there!

 

Annual Meeting

KENTUCKY CHAPTER

 

 Pine Mountain State Resort Park

Ray Harm Room

Saturday, August 15, 2015

9:30 AM to 3:30 PM

 

 

9:30 – 10:00			Snacks and Getting to Know Each Other	Ray Harm Room
10:00 - 10:15 AM			Introduction   Lynn Garrison, President of Kentucky Chapter	Ray Harm Room
10:15 - 10:30 AM			Election Officers and Board   Rex Mann	Ray Harm Room
10:30 - 11:00 AM			A National TACF Overview Thomas Saielli	Ray Harm Room
11:00 – 11:15 AM			Financial Report	Ray Harm Room
11:15 – 11:45			American Chestnut Breeding Program   Scott Friedhoff	Ray Harm Room
11:45 – 12:45 PM			Lunch
12:45– 1:00 PM			American Chestnut Programs in the Louisville Area Keith Chasteen	Ray Harm Room
1:00 – 1:15 PM                      Outreach                                                                                 Ray Harm Room
1:15 - 1:30 PM			Restoration plan for the American Chestnut   Rex Mann	Ray Harm Room
Collaborative Programs
1:30 – 1:45 PM			U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Keith Chasteen	Ray Harm Room
1:45 – 2:45 PM			Kentucky Army National Guard Orchard Kentucky Division of Forestry Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources The Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative Green Forest Work The Parklands of Floyd’s Fork Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest Eastern Kentucky University Ceremonial Planting Owsley County Schools Planting Pike County Schools Planting Home Place Planting Meades Landing Lisa Davis	Ray Harm Room
2:45			Silent Auction Ends	Ray Harm Room
3:00 PM			Adjourn
3:00 – 3:30 PM			Board Meeting	Ray Harm Room

We will have a silent auction which will include various items with many relating to the American chestnut. Included in the auction are two Restoration Chestnut Trees.

 

Note: We planned to have a field trip to Hensley Settlement in cooperation with the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park but unfortunately the road washed out during the heavy July rains and is closed for the rest of the year. We are looking for other field trip possibilities and if we successful we will tighten up the schedule to allow for the field trip.

                

 

Flowering

Chestnut trees are showing signs of flowering.  Is your tree getting ready to bloom?  Pollinating season is quickly coming!

 

Flowering Chinese chestnut tree.



I Can Dig It! - Transplanting Pure American Chestnut Sprouts

Although chestnut blight killed many (most) American chestnut trees throughout the historic range - from Maine to Mississippi - it did not kill the root systems of the trees.  This started the cycle of root sprouts coming up from these living root systems, growing to a certain point, then succumbing to the blight.  Occasionally, these sprouts will get large enough to produce nuts prior to getting and dying from the blight.

In 2013, some native American chestnut sprouts were found at Ft. Knox, KY, following some light thinning within a forested stand.  This thinning activity was done to improve habitat for threatened and endangered bats.  With the thinner tree canopy, more sunlight was allowed to hit the forest floor.  This light is what spurred these sprouts to quickly take off after many years of being suppressed.

The Kentucky Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation has partnered with Ft. Knox and the US Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, at Green River Lake near Campbellsville, KY, to establish a location where stump sprouts can be relocated to in order to provide them full sunlight, water, nutrients and some limited blight prevention (fungicides, mud packing of cankers, etc).  The goal of this "Germplasm Conservation Orchard" is to grow this chestnut genetic source from Ft. Knox to the point of successful flowering where either pollen can be collected from these trees or pollen can be brought to these trees for controlled pollination.  The goal is to develop a new genetic line for the Chapter's backcross breeding program.

Earlier this month, TACF volunteers, KY State Forestry folks, Bernheim Forest folks and US Army Corps of Engineers employees converged on Ft. Knox in order to dig the known sprouts for transfer to Green River Lake.

 

On the same day that the sprouts were dug they were hauled to the orchard site and replanted there.

This photo by Sarah Mattingly, US Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District.

The newly planted trees quickly had protective fencing placed around them to keep deer from nibbling on the twigs.  In all, eight planting spots were filled within the orchard with stump sprouts.  Additional planting will occur as additional sprouts are found from within the "Knobs" physiographic region that either need to be relocated in order to protect or utilize them.  As well, found sprouts or trees may be able to be grafted and placed into the Green River Lake orchard.

It is anticipated that for many years even after a new genetic line is developed from these trees the orchard will produce a plethora of pure American chestnut nuts!  These can be used for test planting future orchard sites, can be stratified and grown or can be utilized for roasting on an open fire!

Tree Spacing

The Louisville Restoration Branch of the Kentucky Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation works with local governments and other entities to do American chestnut demonstration plantings, as well as other plantings.  Some examples in the Louisville area include the new planting with Metro Parks and Recreation in Des Pres Park.  Also, the first planting with Metro Parks is at the entry of the Louisville Nature Center in Joe Creason Park.  Within Jefferson Memorial Forest, there is a habitat planting that includes advanced American chestnut trees.  There is also a display planting at the Louisville Zoo.  Often, when a new planting opportunity comes along, one thing that is discussed is tree spacing.

American chestnut trees are best known for being a forest tree.  As such, they compete for light among the other trees growing around them and reach upward towards the light.  This competition encourages them to develop high reaching and limb free trunks or boles.

When doing our display, demonstration and restoration plantings, we like to keep the chestnut trees at a fairly tight spacing, say 15' to 20' apart.  These trees should get large, so this seems like very tight spacing.  However, this will encourage them to compete for light and grow upright, tall and somewhat "natural" looking like chestnut trees in our Kentucky forests 80+ years ago.

This historic photo shows the close proximity of American chestnut trees growing in the forest.

 

When grown in the open, not that this doesn't work, but it will lead the tree to develop more of a spreading crown.  Not that this is bad - actually, it creates a beautiful shade tree - but it won't show the tall, straight growth that chestnut trees are known for.

 



This open grown American chestnut shows its wide spreading crown.

 

Within Kentucky, we have a somewhat famous large surviving American chestnut tree known as the Adair tree.  This tree, found in Adair County, is growing in somewhat of a fence row between open pastures.  It exhibits an open crown form.

 

When I am asked about tree spacing for a new planting, I usually suggest 18' between trees.  Some folks suggest closer spacing, such as 15', with the thought that if a tree dies, the remaining trees are still at 30' spacing.  If a tree dies at 18' spacing, I'll do my best to get another one established in that spot before the others get so large that they overtop the spot.

 

Interested in planting chestnut trees on your property?  If so, please contact me by commenting on this blog.  Be sure to leave contact info, such as your email address.

 

Think spring!

Kentucky Chapter Partners with US Army Corps of Engineers to Establish Germplasm Conservation Orchard at Green River Lake

The Kentucky Chapter is working with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to develop a Germplasm Conservation Orchard (GCO) at Green River Lake in Taylor County, Kentucky.  A GCO is a repository for pure American gene sources.  Specifically, it is planned to utilize this GCO for genetic material from the Knobs Physiographic Region of Kentucky.  Stump sprouts can be transplanted to the site, nuts from mature native trees can be planted and cuttings can be grafted and planted in the orchard.  Once in the orchard, trees can be nurtured with fertilizer, water and insecticides/fungicides while they grow in full sunlight.  The goal is to protect the trees and encourage them to mature to flowering where pollen can be gathered from them or brought to them in order to create new genetic lines for Kentucky’s backcross breeding program.  After providing new genetic breeding lines, these trees can continue to be cared for in order to provide a source of pure American nuts.

A newly found chestnut sprout at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. (Photo by Ft. Knox Natural Resources Branch personnel)

KY-TACF members Tim Sheehan, Matt Strong, Keith Chasteen, Kerrin Hester, Rick Caldwell and Jimmie Sizemore, along with members of USACE, KY Division of Forestry and US Army personnel from Ft. Knox have searched a few specific areas within the Ft. Knox reservation with some success.  The primary search area is a unit where thinning/harvesting activities occurred in 2012.  The resulting increase in sunlight to the forest floor has promoted stump sprouts to respond by putting on rapid growth.  Now that two growing seasons have passed, the sprouts can readily be found within the forested environment.

Eric Gracey, KY Division of Forestry, with a two year old stump sprout in Ft. Knox, Kentucky. 

In February, volunteers will be returning to Ft. Knox to dig some of the sprouts that have been found.  On the same day of digging, they will be transported to Green River Lake in order to be planted immediately.  Many known sprouts will be left at the Ft. Knox site so that this natural chestnut source is not completely removed from the stand.  However, due to chestnut blight, it is not anticipated that these trees will reach flowering maturity out “in nature.”  Since Ft. Knox is a military reservation with limited access, it was determined that the best alternative for utilizing this genetic source was by moving some of the sprouts to a location where they can be cared for, easily accessed and to get them away from military training activities that could cause them to no longer be available (restricted areas, shooting and bombing ranges, etc).

Preparation has taken place at the Green River Lake location by laying out an approximate half acre site (trees will be planted on a 20’ X 20’ spacing, providing approximately 48 planting spots).  The site was cross-ripped by USACE staff utilizing a KY Division of Forestry’s sub-soil plow.  Although the Frankstown silt loam soil on the site does not tend to develop a hardpan layer, the cross-ripping of the site will ensure conditions for rapid and deep root growth by the trees.

David Wethington, US Army Corps of Engineers, Green River Lake, Kentucky, cross-rips the future Germplasm Conservation Orchard site. 

KY-TACF will fund an electric fence for the orchard in order to keep deer away.  Some funds were raised through a silent auction at the KY-TACF Chapter’s Annual Meeting at Lake Cumberland on August 23, 2014.  The remaining funds were approved by the Chapter’s Board members during the quarterly board meeting in November, 2014.  These funds come from portions of memberships and donations made to the Kentucky Chapter.

As other Knobs Region genetic sources are found, they can be utilized in the Green River Lake GCO to further develop backcross lines from within this physiographic region of Kentucky.

American Chestnut Trees in Des Pres Park!

Politico Magazine was there to document the Louisville Restoration Branch's planting efforts.  You can see their photo report at: Louisville Grows Trees

 Although the rains never let up all Friday night (about 1.5" overnight, ~4" total for the first week of December), we went ahead with plans for the planting at Des Pres Park off of Lowe Road in Louisville.  I arrived early to start hauling planting materials and tools to the site.  What I found was standing water in two of the planting spots and the soil being completely saturated in the other spot.  Not very good conditions for growing chestnut trees!

 The planting and roasting crew, minus one who had to leave early.

After everything was set up, some visiting went on and the nut roasting started, planting activities moved forward.  The first hole was dug and immediately filled with water/mud!  Terrible!  That was going to be the end of the planting, except that the Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation representative on site was agreeable to move the planting spots to slightly higher ground!  Perfect!  So the other two trees got planted without having wet feet!  The initial tree in the mud was moved a day or two later to get it onto higher ground.

Newly planted American chestnut trees in Des Pres Park, Louisville, KY.

 

Nine volunteers showed up to assist with the planting!  With everyone keeping busy, it took no time to get the work done and move onto eating some roasted chestnuts!  The activities also drew 10 additional people who had either heard about it, were brought there by friends or who just happened along and stopped to see what was going on.  These folks were treated to some roasted chestnuts, were provided information on The American Chestnut Foundation and were told about the potentially blight resistant trees we were planting.  They will be able to watch these trees grow as they drive past the park or use it for recreational activities.

 

The planting was done along a walking/running trail which receives a lot of use.  Come spring, it is hoped that interpretive signage can be added to inform visitors about the American chestnut tree.  Hopefully, TACF and Metro Parks can partner with a Louisville based company or other organization to fund this signage.

 

A view of the planted seedlings along the walking/running trail.

 

Be sure to let Metro Parks know how glad you are to see American chestnut trees being planted within the parks!



First Kentucky Produced B3F4 Nuts?

In December 2012, four B3F3 American chestnut trees were obtained from the Kentucky Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation for planting in Joe Creason Park at the entrance to the Louisville Nature Center.  These were some of the most advanced trees in the blight resistance breeding program and are known as Restoration Chestnut 1.0 trees.

 

Peter Glauber and Anne Myers Bobigian carefully plant a 1 year old chestnut seedling in Joe Creason Park, December 2012.

 

The trees were tended to by chestnut steward, Peter Glauber, who has watered each tree during dry periods, has pulled weeds, monitored, helped prune, mulched, etc.  Peter's efforts have been a tremendous aid to these "pioneer" chestnut trees within Louisville's Metro Park system - having been the first American chestnuts to be planted within the park system since at least the 1940's (estimated).

 

From Peter's care, as well as several Louisville Restoration Branch work days to help tend this small grove, the trees have grown quite well!

Now, I'm sure you have heard or read that it takes chestnut trees 5 to 8 years of growing before they begin to produce nuts, right?  Well, the Louisville Restoration Branch is happy to be the first producers of what are called "B3F4" nuts!  That is correct!  These trees that have been in the ground for only two years produced a few viable nuts - 3 to be exact.

There are four trees planted in this grove.  Last year, tree #4 produced male flowers and none of them produced female flowers (burs).  However, this year, tree #4 was covered in female and male flowers!  Chestnut trees are self-infertile, so they need an unrelated partner to produce viable nuts.  Luckily, tree #1 had two male catkins (flowers) on it!

LNC tree #4 displaying both male and female flowers, June 2014.

 



With such a limited pollen source, I attempted to assist nature a little by removing half of one of the male flowers from tree #1 and rubbed it on each female flower in hopes of successfully pollinating tree #4.  The rest would be up to nature to take care of.  Although limited in success, I did manage to harvest the three viable B3F4 nuts at the end of September!

Of course, nature (squirrels) may have beat me to others, but three is a start!  These nuts are currently stratifying in cold storage so that they will be ready to plant this next spring.

Stop past the Louisville Nature Center to check out the chestnut grove!  If you are interested, plan on helping to plant some additional chestnut trees in another Metro Park - Des Pres Park - on December 6, 2014, beginning at 10:00 AM.  Following the planting of three Restoration Chestnut 1.0 trees, participants will have the opportunity to taste some roasted chestnuts!  Yes, take a break from your Christmas shopping, help plant some trees and enjoy "chestnuts roasting on an open fire!"  (BTW - the "open" fire will probably be a propane burner, but the nuts will still be tasty!)

Contact this blogger at kchacha@yahoo.com if you would like more information.