For additional context.. the American Chestnut Foundation has spent something like 40 years trying to accomplish this through traditional breeding programs, by continually backcrossing. They have trees with 97% American genetics (whereas the biotech ones are 99.9% American genetics)) BUT here’s the catch - the traditionally bred trees suck. They are not strong, they are not healthy. We have friends who have planted them out who are very disappointed.
One of the things that they’re finding in test plots is that deer fucking love American chestnuts (which are apparently tastier than the Chinese Chestnuts, many of which have been planted in this area). The deer will eat American Chestnuts instead of Tulip Poplars or Red Maples. Deer populations are pretty high right now so even if there’s a massive Chestnut replanting efforts - bigger than the ones going on currently - how well they succeed depend on a lot of factors actually, factors such as Phytophthora and ambrosia beetles and deer.
Chestnut trees are pretty interesting. We have discovered some original ones on our property that survived all the logging here and all the pests, but they only get to about 4′ and resemble a shrub. They never get large enough to produce any nuts.
We’re excited for the biotech ones too. Chestnuts as a food crop are kind of a PITA though, they don’t last long and they get nut borers which eat the nuts from the inside out. A great way to get maggots in your food. They have to be treated like fresh produce.
They are, by all accounts though, an excellent tree for supporting wildlife.
A bat hanging in a Chestnut Tree! Here’s an interesting website for more info.
dededos
prguitarman
kianamaiart
izzy806
tangentwithtanner
