Chestnut Photos (Spring and Summer
2003)
by
Joe Schibig unless otherwise indicated
Hill Craddock and Pollination Crew (photo by Tom Neel, June 20, 2003)
Members of the pollination crew are from left to right: Stephen Alexander, Dr. J. Hill Craddock, Clint Neel, Mark Alexander, Lisa Worthen, and Bill Starrett. In June, this crew hand-pollinated the American chestnut mother tree (in the background) and 48 hybrid seed nuts were harvested in October, 2003. The tree is located in Lincoln County near Petersburg. Clint was the first TACF member to learn about this tree; he says that when you look at this tree closely, you feel like it is the ugliest chestnut you have ever seen because of all the sickly cankers. Despite its looks, it keeps on living and producing flowers--it is a survivor.
Hill Craddock demonstrates pollination techniques (unknown photographer, June 2003)
On the left is the old fashion method of rubbing pollen from the male catkin onto the female flower and on the right is the slide method where pollen is dusted onto a slide and the female flower is rubbed against the pollen grains. Michael Hill had good success by dipping the female flower down into a small jar containing pollen and then rubbing the female flower against the pollen adhering to the glass wall of the jar.
Scroll down to see more 2003 pollination photos.
A respectable American chestnut towering over a mountain laurel thicket (photos on June 26, 2003)
The upper photos show a vigorous flowering American chestnut
(8.9 inches dbh, height 45 feet) that was growing on an upper south-facing slope
at an elevation of 920 feet in Smith County, Tennessee. Mark Vance spotted
this tree--discovering a relatively large, healthy tree such as this is a spine
tingling experience for chestnut hunters. Surrounding it was a dense
thicket of mountain laurel (see lower photo)
A fruiting American chestnut spared from the bush hog since 1958 (Photos taken July 23, 2003)
Bobby Gillam, stands next to a fruiting American chestnut on his farm in Sumner County, Tennessee. This tree is 5 inches in dbh and is about 23 feet tall and is the largest of several live stems growing in a cluster in an open field. Almost all of the stems are cankered, but the tree cluster refuses to die. Although the larger stems usually die before they reach 20 years of age, the root collar continues to send up new stems. While clearing this ridge of hardwoods back in 1958, he noticed a chestnut tree about the same size as the one pictured here growing from the base of a chestnut stump and fortunately he decided to spare it from the bush hog all these years since 1958. I counted about 75 burs on this very accessible tree. Next year, The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) volunteers may want to pollinate this mother tree--Mr. Gillam has volunteered the use of his tractor and bucket which should put the pollinators within easy reach of the female flowers. He has also pledged to remove a competing dogwood tree and to fence in the tree to protect it from the damaging effects of cattle. Because of concerned and cooperating landowners like Mr Gillam, TACF has been able to broaden its back-crossing pollination program to develop blight-resistant American chestnuts adapted to diverse soil and climatic conditions.
Second largest American chestnut found in Land Between the Lakes (Photo, July 23, 2003 by Michael Hill)
Michael Hill found this relatively old and large (dbh = 9 inches; height = 35 ft.) American chestnut on a bluff overlooking Kentucky Lake in Stewart County, Tennessee. It was fruiting, so it may serve as a mother tree for a tree climber to pollinate next year. Note the cankered base and furrowing bark. This tree probably has been growing slowly on this windy, dry site in Land Between the Lakes; we guess its age to be about 30 yrs. The open-canopy sites on these dry bluff sites admit abundant sunshine which stimulates the growth of numerous basal sprouts. Presence of young basal sprouts is life insurance for such American chestnuts as these young sprouts will continue to grow after the larger, older stems die from the blight and/or other causes. Such multiple-stemmed chestnuts growing on sunny sites often have undergone several cycles of stem death and sprout replacement since 1940.
A big, beautiful American chestnut recently discovered at Edgar Evins State Park (July 15, 2003)
Michael Hill, chestnut researcher, and Carl Halfacre, park
manager, stand next to a 70 foot tall chestnut with a diameter at breast height
of 17.4 inches. Considering both height and diameter, it rates as the
second largest American chestnut in Tennessee known to us.
This chestnut (tree to the right) has competed successfully with
a nearby tulip poplar (tree to the left) and other hardwood species (chestnut
oak, red maple, sassafras, and hickory) for many years. We estimate
this tree to be about 60 years old.
This extraordinary chestnut was accidentally discovered by George Ellison, a
naturalist. A few weeks ago, he found himself somewhat lost in the park
and decided to make his way up the hill toward where he thought there would be a
road. Along the way, he noticed the park's fauna and flora; when he
approached the ridge road which was not far from the Park Headquarters, he was
surprised to see old chestnut burs on the ground. He looked up and was
astonished by a rare sight--a tall American chestnut in full flower!
He excitedly reported his find to Carl Halfacre and others. Eventually,
Paul Sisco informed me of George's discovery. You never know what you will
find in the woods.
The tree appeared to be in good health, but the lower limbs had
been attacked by gall wasps, an introduced chestnut pest that has been moving
northward, weakening chestnuts along its way. We also observed orange
stroma, spore-producing bodies of the blight fungus, in the cracks between the
bark plates (photo below and left). A sample of this fungus was sent to
Mark Double in West Virginia who cultured it and concluded it was probably a
virulent strain. Clint Neel contributed the photo below and to the right
which shows the big chestnut (tree on far left of photo) and a deer in the
center; park officers say deer in the park are overgrazing the herbaceous
plants. This is bad news for tasty chestnut sprouts.
A monster of a mother tree in Metcalfe County, Kentucky (July 2, 2003)
This This tree made my day! Michael Hill and I were scouting for new chestnuts in a hilly area of Metcalfe Co., Ky. when we stumbled upon a spectacular American chestnut. It was 15.3 inched in dbh and about 75 feet tall--one of the tallest chestnuts in Kentucky. I have never seen so many spent catkins carpeting the ground underneath a chestnut tree. It had produced copious flowers, all in vain, since it had no close mate in the area for cross-pollination. We observed many old burs from last years bountiful production of sterile fruits. Maybe in 2004, we will be able to pollinate this huge mother tree. With the permission of the landowner, we could bring a 75-foot bucket truck all the way to this tree. Though we saw orange pustules of the blight fungus in the cracks between the plates of bark, the tree seemed to be in good health. It was growing thriftily on a ridge (1000 feet elevation) along with blackgum, sourwood, beech, and shagbark hickory; blueberry bushes, greenbriar and maple-leaved viburnum were the prominent associated shrubs.
Pollination of Tennessee mother trees going at full-throttle,
June, 2003
On June 23, Michael Hill and I revisited the tall Clay Co. tree and this time we had a taller bucket truck which took us 70 feet up to the bountiful flowers at the very top of the tree. In the above left photo, from left to right are Brian (the discover of this tree, Tim (son in law of Ray Clements, the property owner), Jerry (Tri-County Electric bucket truck operator), and Michael (TACF intern). We thank Paul Thompson (manager at Tri-County Electric) for providing the bucket truck that made this pollination possible. Seventy bags were placed on this tree; about half of the female flowers were pollinated with BC3 pollen from Meadow View, Virginia (ran out of this pollen), and the other half were pollinated with pollen taken from a vigorous pure American chestnut.
Photos of the Rutherford Co. tree pollination taken mostly by Hill Craddock on June 20. Top left photo shows Clint Neel standing next to the bagged old survivor. Mrs. Polly Shriver and the fenced in chestnut are shown in the top right photo; she says her father, now deceased, planted this tree years ago. Bottom photos show a bird's eye view from the bucket and Hill pollinating treetop flowers; he admits to getting an adrenaline rush when he slips the surly bonds of earth. 150 pollination bags (a bag often covers more than one female flower) were placed on this tree using pollen from several sources.
Up he goes--Glen Christman, the gentle arborist, skillfully ascends a sturdy but wet mother tree in Land Between the Lakes. The only way that inaccessible trees like this can be successfully pollinated is by expert tree climbers. This particular tree is unusual for its size and ability to grow vigorously in a punishing environment. The soil is nutrient-poor, cherty, droughty and acidic, yet this tree is 11 inches in dbh, 45 feet tall, and blight-free. (photos taken on June 18, 2003)
Glen has literally gone out on a limb to pollinate this mother tree (photo taken by Hill Craddock, June 18, 2003).
The left photo is of Lisa gathering some male catkins that were accidentally
dislodged from the tree; they provided the pollen for another chestnut
tree (pictured below) in Davidson County, Tennessee, the next day. To the right
is a group photo taken at a smaller flowering tree in LBL. Glen Christman and
Hill Craddock in the center with UTC students flanking them. (photos on June 18,
2003)
Hill (left photo) instructs Zack, the climber (right photo), on how to pollinate the female flowers on a 50 foot-tall American chestnut which is on the Doochin property in Davidson County, Tennessee. It too is a blight-free American chestnut growing and flowering on a very steep, difficult to access site. (photos on June 20, 2003)
Courageous Lisa accompanies Hill in the bucket as he steers the bucket skyward--he learns how to use the controls as they ascend. Fortunately, Hill passed the ascending test with flying colors. (June 19, 2003 photos)
Hill and Lisa apply pollen from a Meadoview BC3 tree to this 70 foot-tall beauty of an American Chestnut. Progeny of this cross will be designated as BC4 and will consist almost entirely of American chestnut genes with only a small per cent of Chinese chestnut genes (to confer resistance to blight). The tree being pollinated and bagged is on the Clements property in Clay County, Tennessee. (photo taken on June 19, 2003)
In the left photo, Hill prepares for pollination by laying male catkins on a glass plate and tapping them to dislodge pollen; by the next day, considerable pollen will have been shed; The right photo shows Hill using a blade to rake up pollen which he puts into a labeled glass vial. To apply pollen, he inverts the vial so that some pollen will cling to the underside of the lid; he then takes the lid with pollen and brushes the tips of the female flower against the underside of the lid, dislodging pollen onto the sticky styles. Prior to applying pollen to the female flower, surrounding male flowers were removed; finally a protective bag is placed over the female flower(s). If all goes well, egg fertilization occurs and viable nuts will be ready in the fall. (photos taken on June 19, 2003)
Tennessee TACF members are pollinating about seven mother trees in all parts of the state this year.
TACF TN Chapter meeting in Chattanooga, May 31, 2003
Group photo by Mack Pritchard.
Paul Sisco and Michael Doochin discussing pollination.
Susan Frankel interviewing the Doochins (photo by Paul).
Clint, Matt, and Mack Pritchard (photo by Paul Sisco).
Hill Craddock demonstrating pollination technique at Bendabout Farm (left photo by Schibig, photo on right by Sisco).
Bill Turner examines chinkapin flowers. A young chestnut enthusiast examines a chinkapin in bloom.
Allegheny chinkapin (a beautiful native shrub) at full anthesis. A Chinese chestnut (or chestnut hybrid?) with immature
male catkins and bur-like female flowers at base of
a bisexual catkin; note large wide stipules (a Chinese
chestnut feature).
TACF members and interns at UTC's GIS Lab
photo by Paul Sisco, May 30, 2003.
A little insect but a terrible menace to chestnuts
The chestnut weevil (Circulio) causes great damage to the nuts of chestnut trees; this is an adult (10X) which lays eggs that will develop into worm-like larvae that feed on the nuts. This photo was taken by Jeremy Bramlett (May, 2003).
A promising mother tree in Clay County,
Tennessee
(Photos on May 19, 2003)
This blight-free American chestnut is 10.5 inch (dbh) and about 45 feet tall--the third largest living chestnut we have found in Tennessee. Though not visible in the above right photo, we saw numerous immature flowers on the upper branches. We have found other American chestnuts producing flowers, but most were inaccessible--too steep and thickly wooded for bucket truck-assisted pollination. This tree is on private land and the owner has graciously given permission for members of TACF's Tennessee Chapter to pollinate the tree this summer. Ray, the owner, recently felled a large beech tree that was competing strongly with this tree. Now that the beech is gone, more light will shine on the tree's foliage and this will stimulate its growth and flowering for years to come. For the past 10 years, Bryan (the discover of this tree), has observed some nut production just about every year; however, last year it produced only a few. This year should be a good year for nut production and the seeds produced this year will not be duds but will be viable and contain good genetic material if it is pollinated by TACF members. If the Tennessee Chapter decides to use this chestnut as a mother tree, pollen taken from a TACF hybrid chestnut (mostly American but with Chinese genes for blight resistance) will be dusted on the female flowers of this pure American mother tree which appears to have good genes for timber growth form (straight and rapid growing). The bagged female flowers then should produce a valuable nut crop that will be coveted by Sciurus carolinensis as well as Homo sapiens. The nuts will be harvested slightly prematurely so as to beat the grey squirrels to the punch.
A flowering companion of Castanea dentata on dry slopes and ridges (Photos on May 19, 2003)
Although mountain laurel is generally rare in Middle Tennessee, you will occasionally find laurel thickets on some of the relatively undisturbed dry slopes and ridges on the Highland Rim around the Nashville Basin. Typically it is found with chestnut oak, sourwood, red maple, blueberry bushes, and sometimes American chestnut. You can see a dead chestnut and some live chestnut sprouts in the above right photo surrounded by mountain laurel; this photo was taken on an upper-south facing slope in Jackson County. On this site we found the remains of a few chestnut stumps with a basal diameter of 5 to 6 feet.
The "Big Woods" of Mammoth Cave National Park--rich in chestnuts (photos taken May 13, 2003)
The left photo shows Park officials, students, and guests standing close to a large tulip poplar, one of many in the "Big Woods", an old growth forest within Mammoth Cave National Park; the photo on the right shows a small American chestnut growing (slowly) in the shade of another huge tulip poplar. We scouted a north to east-facing slope section of the "Big Woods" and found numerous small chestnuts sheltered by mammoth oaks, hickories, and tulip poplars. The great forest ecologist, Lucy Braun, over a half a century ago, noted that the American Chestnut was the fourth most abundant tree on the upland slopes of the "Big Woods" of Mammoth Cave National Park. Mark Depoy (standing in front of the big tree in the left photo) will be supervising a thorough inventory of the native chestnuts in the Park; several students will be involved in this valuable field experience. Mark has already supervised the planting of thousands of American chestnut seedlings in the Park.
Some chestnut hunters have found a healthy American chestnut over 5 inches dbh and about 50 feet tall. The chestnut was growing on a mid east-facing slope among chestnut oak, black oak, white oak, tulip poplar and sourwood trees. The ground was rocky; in this part of the Park, sandstone caps the high ridges and slopes. The tree was not flowering, probably from insufficient exposure to the sun. On the right, you can see a seedling virginia pine emerging from a little bit of soil embedded in a dead chestnut log. Though dead, the big fallen chestnut makes new life possible.
You might want to check out some newly added chestnut articles on the main page at: http://www2.vscc.cc.tn.us/jschibig/resurrectingthechestnut.htm