Photos by Joe Schibig (October 4, 2008)

From the left, Jack, Lester, Shannon, and Tonia stand in front of a rare fruiting
American chestnut producing viable seed.

American chestnut fruits.

 

This 30 ft tall tree was growing on a mountain top in Claiborne County, TN
at an elevation of about 1900 feet.

We estimated the diameter of this blight-free tree to be about 6.5 inches
and we guessed its age to be about 20 years.

Lester holds some prickly burs.

We harvested 60 open pollinated seed from this tree and estimated that
about 100 seed remained on the tree.
 

We found a second fruiting tree nearby that was the source of pollen for the
larger tree.  We plan to take pollen  from both these trees next June to
pollinate TACF hybrid chestnut trees at Meadowview, VA.

Photos taken by Jack Torkelson on Sept. 28, 2008

From the left, Will, Joe, Stacey, and Mr. Durham stand by a pure American chestnut
recently discovered by Stacey.  We were also treated to a tour of Stacey's  beautiful
chestnut log  home which he built from hand hewn logs he removed from old barns
and houses.

This tree was producing many large burs with aborted seeds as there was not another chestnut
in the vicinity.  Notice the bark has the dreaded orange spore producing bodies of the chestnut
blight fungus--the kiss of death for an American chestnut.  Before it dies, we hope to get pollen
from it to pollinate a hybrid TACF chestnut tree at Meadowview, VA.