Chestnut photos II--Summer 2004
(all photos taken by Joe Schibig unless otherwise
indicated)
The largest American chestnut on the Cumberland
Plateau known to us.
(Photos on Aug. 14, 2004)
In the foreground of the above photo, Mike French (left) paints a sprout with fungicide while Arthur Tucker determines the height of the largest live stem to be 50 feet; its diameter (dbh) is recorded as10 inches. In the background, Mark Vance with his data pad and Monty Phillips with his white helmet look on. Most of the stems had attained unusually large size for an American chestnut these days. The largest stem was still alive and fruiting although its trunk was heavily scarred by blight. Note the walking cane propped against the tree; it was carved from a small chestnut pole by Arthur, who is an avid wood worker and chestnut enthusiast. This chestnut cluster was found at an elevation of 1300 feet on a rocky sandstone-capped ridge in eastern Wayne County, Kentucky. The ridge appears to be on the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau region.
In the photo below, a slowly decaying chestnut rail fence still lingers in the serene woods which before the blight was teeming with giant chestnuts; the remains of a chestnut stump with a basal diameter of eight feet was found at this Wayne County site.
In the left photo below, Monty Phillips stands next to a chestnut stump which he said was a vibrant tree 65 years ago. He shared with us his vivid memory of picking sweet nuts from this tree on a cool October day back in 1939--65 years ago. In the right photo below, Mike French (left), a KY-TACF intern, and Mark Vance (right) a TN-TACF intern are corralled in an old hog pen. Monty said the rails of this hog pen were over 65 years old and that the pen was once used by local farmers to hold wild hogs for fattening. Mike and Mark were happy to hear they would not share the same fate.
In the photo below, colorful caterpillars dine on a chestnut leaf at the Wayne Co. site where we found a five-ft. tall chestnut sprout which was totally denuded of its leaves by this type of caterpillar. We don't know the name for this species, but Mark Vance and I have seen them munching on other chestnut trees in Clay and Jackson counties, Tennessee.
A dog stinkhorn fungus pokes through the forest
litter in chestnut woods.
(Photos on Aug. 14, 2004)
As we inventoried the chestnut trees in Wayne County, Tennessee, we came across a shocking fungus. Amid the decaying chestnut logs and other forest litter, a colorful and odiferous dog stinkhorn (genus Muticus) was poking through.. It exudes the odor of rotten meat which attracts flies. They come to the stinkhorn to feast on what smells like carrion and leave with stinkhorn spores sticking to their hairy legs. The flies eventually carry the spores to a real rotting carcass which is great substrate for spore germination and the growth of another stinkhorn. The name, dog stinkhorn, is self explanatory.
Another giant chestnut found in Jackson County,
Tennessee
(Photos on July 31, 2004)
In the above photo, Roger Draper and Mark Vance stand next to the second largest American chestnut in Tennessee known to us. The largest one became known to the scientific community in the winter of 2003; it is also in Jackson County which is in north central Tennessee. These two large survivors are within 5 miles of each other as the crow flies and both are at elevations close to 1000 feet on steep upper slopes. This newly discovered tree is on a mesic northwest-facing slope while the other is on a dry west-facing slope. We estimate its height to be 70 feet and its diameter at breast height measures 19 inches. The trunk is blemished by many healed cankers which do not appear to be of the fast-growing, lethal type. Responding to a tip from E. Wayne Clark, we were able to quickly locate this tree. This mother tree is producing lots of infertile burs this year, but next June we intend to bring a 70-foot bucket truck to it and dose its female flowers with some of Fred Hebard's hybrid pollen; we might also apply some pollen from the bigger Jackson Co. tree to this one to produce some pure American chestnut progeny. To see a photo of the other Jackson Co. tree which is the state champion go to: http://www2.vscc.cc.tn.us/jschibig/Recentchestnutphotosfall2002winter2003.htm
Mark Vance, the chestnut-hugging wild man of the woods,
has the inside story on the American chestnut; he says "There is light at the
end of the tunnel for the American chestnut".
Roger Draper took us to this huge chestnut snag (dbh of four feet) in Jackson County. The hollow inside was big enough for big Mark to enter, and while inside he noticed a fire-scarred interior and then he peered upward to gaze at the sunlit canopy.
Photos from a hike on the Ramsey Cascades trail in the Great
Smokey Mountains
The intermittent showers did not dampen the spirits of this group of TN-TACF members and their guests.
The group partakes of lunch while soaking in the natural beauty of the cascading water.
Jason, Clint, Greg, Joe, and Arles carry on conversations while the falling water makes a pleasant sound in the background.
The left photo shows an old chestnut stump, one of many observed along the trail. The right photo captures the beauty of Ramsey Cascades as Clint Neel and Liam and Seth Weaver cool off by the falls after a challenging four mile hike.
The left photo shows Jade and Blake by one of the largest tulip poplar trees
in the park. In the right photo, Dylan and Jade Knox find
an interesting snail.
At the trailhead, Greg Weaver discusses the American chestnut and where it occurs along the Ramsey Cascades trail (this photo submitted by Clint Neel).
The Carolinas Chapter of TACF holds
meeting and discusses the Phytophthora problem
(Photo taken on Aug. 28, 2004, by Steve Jeffers, Dept. of
Entomology, Soil, and Plant Sci., at Clemson University)
Attendees are (from left): Kenneth (K.O.) Summerville, retired NC Forest Service; Bill Bauerle, Dept. of Horticulture, Clemson Univ.; Ron Myers, NC Forest Service, Chapter Past President; Joe James, retired orthopedic surgeon, Chapter President; Don Surrette, retired engineer, Dupont and Agfa, Pisgah Forest, NC; Pat Layton, Prof and Head, Dept. of Forestry and Natural Resources, Clemson; Doug Gillis, retired engineer, City of Charlotte, NC; Steve Barilovits, III, computer engineer; John Frampton, Dept. of Forestry, NC State Univ.; Paul Sisco, Regional Science Coordinator, The Amer. Chestnut Found; Geoff Wang, Dept. of Forestry and Natural Resources, Clemson Univ.