Holiday revelation: Wild #AmericanChestnuts thriving on biologist’s land in #Maine

21 December 2025

"A documentary-style environmental investigation reveals a remarkable and little-known success story: thousands of wild, healthy American chestnut trees flourishing on the Maine forest land of renowned biologist and author Dr #BerndHeinrich. Their vigorous natural growth—and possible blight resistance—directly counters long-held beliefs that the iconic species survives today only as scattered, doomed sprouts.

"Dr Heinrich, professor emeritus of the Biology Department at the #UniversityOfVermont and author of more than 20 books on biology, including the celebrated memoir A Year in the Maine Woods, has spent more than four decades observing the chestnuts on his hundreds of acres. Dr Heinrich has also authored over 100 scientific papers.

"In 1982 Heinrich planted wild American chestnut seedlings on his land. Since then, blue jays and squirrels have spread the trees widely across the forest. Working with University of Vermont students, he has documented well over a thousand thriving chestnut trees—some now representing three generations of natural regeneration. Each has been GPS-mapped through long-term field study.

"The Wild American Chestnut, a new film, produced by Global Justice Ecology Project (GJEP), captures Heinrich guiding viewers through this extraordinary landscape. The film discusses projections that the American chestnut is shifting its range northward due to climate change, opening new opportunities for survival beyond its historical geographic limits.

" 'This film presents some good news about the wild American chestnut and is a stark contrast to claims by some researchers that genetically engineered trees are the only path to restoration,' said Anne Petermann, Executive Director of GJEP. 'It was stunning to see so many robust trees—three full generations growing naturally—when the efforts to engineer blight-resistant chestnuts have produced nothing but failures.'

"This discovery unfolds against the backdrop of major setbacks for biotech-based restoration strategies. In December 2023, The American Chestnut Foundation withdrew its support for a genetically engineered chestnut that was decades in development, after multiple documented research errors revealed the tree to be genetically defective.

"The investigation filmed on Heinrich’s land provides a powerful counter-narrative: wild American chestnuts may already be mounting an unexpected comeback—quietly, naturally, and without genetic engineering."

Source:
https://gmwatch.org/en/106-news/latest-news/20625-holiday-revelation-wild-american-chestnuts-thriving-on-biologist-s-land-in-maine

To learn more about the film: TheWildAmericanChestnut.org

Or view the film on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebywGe-J730&feature=youtu.be

#SolarPunkSunday #Trees #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #AmericanChestnutTree #ChestnutTrees #CastaneaDentata

From 2014: Passionate Couple, USDA, Team up for 'Miracle:' Bringing Back the American Chestnut

February 14, 2014 at 3:30 PM

"It was on a hilltop in eastern Kentucky where I first met James and Gail Cope, looking at the 27 newly planted American chestnut seedlings on their land. It was our common love for this rare tree that brought us together.

"American chestnut trees once dominated the Appalachian landscape, but during the early 1900s a fungus struck the trees causing them nearly to vanish. The American Chestnut Blight, an Asian fungus, first struck in 1904 in New York City and quickly spread, leaving in its wake a trail of dead and dying stems. By the 1950s, the keystone species of some nine million acres of forests had disappeared.

"The tree is important because it produces bushels of nuts for wildlife, and animals like squirrels, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, black bear, and grouse depend on the nuts for a major food source.

"The tree also has a history tied intimately with an earlier America. Commonly referred to as the 'redwood of the East,' the American chestnut tree was used to build cabins and fences and feed hogs.

"Through a Conservation Innovation Grant from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Cope family is working with the American Chestnut Foundation to plant the trees and study how to reforest them successfully.

"This month, USDA is highlighting innovative agricultural and conservation efforts, and NRCS is currently accepting grant proposals.

"The grant of $500,000 from NRCS has enabled the foundation to create research orchards, like the one on the Copes’ land. The forests consist of chestnuts, northern red oaks and white pines, and the goal is to find ways to out compete the white pines.

The American Chestnut Foundation was founded in 1983 by a group of plant scientists who recognized the severe impact the demise of the American chestnut tree had on communities, forests and wildlife.

"The foundation started #crossbreeding American chestnut trees with #ChineseChestnutTrees, which are naturally resistant to the blight. Once a half American-half Chinese tree was created, it was then crossbred with an American, resulting in a 75 percent American chestnut tree. These trees don’t have any Chinese characteristics, except for a resistance to the blight.

"As a part of this grant program, the group or individual awarded the grant must work with farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. In this case, they worked with the Cope family to study and monitor chestnut growth.

"The Copes’ enthusiasm made them a great candidate. Actually, James Cope still has the froe, a cutting tool, his grandparents used to split chestnut shake shingles and rails for split rail fences.

"We’re excited and hopeful about the work underway at the Copes’ land. One of the things I most love about my country is that even in the bleakest of circumstances, there is always room for a miracle. For me, one of those miracles is the 27 tiny American chestnuts struggling on a hillside in eastern #Kentucky."

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/passionate-couple-usda-team-miracle-bringing-back-american-chestnut

#SolarPunkSunday #Trees #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #CastaneaDentata #AmericanChestnuts #AmericanChestnutTree #ChestnutTrees #ChestnutBlight

#CentralAsia’s #fruit and #nut #forests: the real Garden of Eden?

Birthplaces of some of the world’s most beloved snacks

by Monica Evans
17 December 2020

"Millions of years ago, in the temperate montane forests of a little-known region in Central Asia, some of the world’s best-loved fruit and nut trees began to grow. #Apples, #apricots, #cherries, #plums, #grapes, #figs, #peaches, #pomegranates, #pears, #almonds, #pistachios and #walnuts all originated in the hills and valleys of the #TianShan mountain range, which stretches from #Uzbekistan in the west to #China and #Mongolia in the east.

"The area is volcanic and geologically tumultuous, but fertile – scientists have hypothesized that in a place prone to frequent eruptions, earthquakes and landslides, shorter-lived tree species that could disperse their seeds widely by making themselves palatable to large mammals had a better shot at survival than long-lived, slow-maturing trees.

"And that tasty survival strategy has served these species well. For residents of the region, the foods represent both security and social currency. 'From the taxi drivers to the ministers to the local people, almost everyone carries some #DriedFruit or #Nuts with them,' says Paola Agostini, a lead natural resources specialist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. 'It’s like this safety net, and it’s also a lovely gift: something to share with others that is always appreciated.'

"Central Asian marketplaces offer a cornucopia of colors, flavors, textures and varieties – many more than those most of us are accustomed to finding in our local supermarket’s produce aisle. 'I was always astonished that people in the region could so easily tell which country a particular dried apricot came from,' says Agostini. 'Their knowledge of these products is just so deep.'

"Procuring and sharing these energy-dense treats is an ancient practice in the area. Fruit and nuts were major commodities on the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that tracked through the heart of Central Asia, linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from the first century BC through to the mid-1400s. Over centuries of trade and travel – and lots of munching by humans, camels and horses along the way – prized fruit and nut species spread their seeds wider and wider, and new hybrid varieties were created, many of which are now supermarket and home-orchard staples, cultivated enthusiastically in temperate regions across the globe.

"Narratives of plant domestication often tend to overstate the role of humans, but newer science suggests that 'evolution in parallel' with the plants we love is often a more accurate way of framing this process. 'It’s very unlikely that when somebody took an apple from #Kazakhstan and carried it across an entire continent, they were thinking that they could cross it with another variety and end up with something better,' says #RobertSpengler, a paleo-ethnobotanist at the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany. 'They were more likely just carrying the seeds to plant somewhere else. And in doing so, they inadvertently set off a chain reaction of hybridization events.'

"According to Spengler’s research into the origins of apples, humans were not the first mammals to participate in that process of dispersal and co-evolution, either. In the late #Miocene, which spanned the period from 11.63 to 5.33 million years ago, large mammals such as #mammoths and #horses played critical roles in dispersing apple seeds and facilitating their evolutionary process into the large, sweet, flavor-rich fruits we enjoy today."

Learn more:
https://thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org/48941/central-asias-fruit-and-nut-forests-the-real-garden-of-eden/

#SolarPunkSunday #Ethnobotany #PlantHistory #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #FruitTrees #NutTrees

#CentralAsia’s #fruit and #nut #forests: the real Garden of Eden?

Birthplaces of some of the world’s most beloved snacks

by Monica Evans
17 December 2020

"Millions of years ago, in the temperate montane forests of a little-known region in Central Asia, some of the world’s best-loved fruit and nut trees began to grow. #Apples, #apricots, #cherries, #plums, #grapes, #figs, #peaches, #pomegranates, #pears, #almonds, #pistachios and #walnuts all originated in the hills and valleys of the #TianShan mountain range, which stretches from #Uzbekistan in the west to #China and #Mongolia in the east.

"The area is volcanic and geologically tumultuous, but fertile – scientists have hypothesized that in a place prone to frequent eruptions, earthquakes and landslides, shorter-lived tree species that could disperse their seeds widely by making themselves palatable to large mammals had a better shot at survival than long-lived, slow-maturing trees.

"And that tasty survival strategy has served these species well. For residents of the region, the foods represent both security and social currency. 'From the taxi drivers to the ministers to the local people, almost everyone carries some #DriedFruit or #Nuts with them,' says Paola Agostini, a lead natural resources specialist for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank. 'It’s like this safety net, and it’s also a lovely gift: something to share with others that is always appreciated.'

"Central Asian marketplaces offer a cornucopia of colors, flavors, textures and varieties – many more than those most of us are accustomed to finding in our local supermarket’s produce aisle. 'I was always astonished that people in the region could so easily tell which country a particular dried apricot came from,' says Agostini. 'Their knowledge of these products is just so deep.'

"Procuring and sharing these energy-dense treats is an ancient practice in the area. Fruit and nuts were major commodities on the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes that tracked through the heart of Central Asia, linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from the first century BC through to the mid-1400s. Over centuries of trade and travel – and lots of munching by humans, camels and horses along the way – prized fruit and nut species spread their seeds wider and wider, and new hybrid varieties were created, many of which are now supermarket and home-orchard staples, cultivated enthusiastically in temperate regions across the globe.

"Narratives of plant domestication often tend to overstate the role of humans, but newer science suggests that 'evolution in parallel' with the plants we love is often a more accurate way of framing this process. 'It’s very unlikely that when somebody took an apple from #Kazakhstan and carried it across an entire continent, they were thinking that they could cross it with another variety and end up with something better,' says #RobertSpengler, a paleo-ethnobotanist at the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany. 'They were more likely just carrying the seeds to plant somewhere else. And in doing so, they inadvertently set off a chain reaction of hybridization events.'

"According to Spengler’s research into the origins of apples, humans were not the first mammals to participate in that process of dispersal and co-evolution, either. In the late #Miocene, which spanned the period from 11.63 to 5.33 million years ago, large mammals such as #mammoths and #horses played critical roles in dispersing apple seeds and facilitating their evolutionary process into the large, sweet, flavor-rich fruits we enjoy today."

Learn more:
https://thinklandscape.globallandscapesforum.org/48941/central-asias-fruit-and-nut-forests-the-real-garden-of-eden/

#SolarPunkSunday #Ethnobotany #PlantHistory #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #FruitTrees #NutTrees

From 2014: Passionate Couple, USDA, Team up for 'Miracle:' Bringing Back the American Chestnut

February 14, 2014 at 3:30 PM

"It was on a hilltop in eastern Kentucky where I first met James and Gail Cope, looking at the 27 newly planted American chestnut seedlings on their land. It was our common love for this rare tree that brought us together.

"American chestnut trees once dominated the Appalachian landscape, but during the early 1900s a fungus struck the trees causing them nearly to vanish. The American Chestnut Blight, an Asian fungus, first struck in 1904 in New York City and quickly spread, leaving in its wake a trail of dead and dying stems. By the 1950s, the keystone species of some nine million acres of forests had disappeared.

"The tree is important because it produces bushels of nuts for wildlife, and animals like squirrels, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, black bear, and grouse depend on the nuts for a major food source.

"The tree also has a history tied intimately with an earlier America. Commonly referred to as the 'redwood of the East,' the American chestnut tree was used to build cabins and fences and feed hogs.

"Through a Conservation Innovation Grant from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Cope family is working with the American Chestnut Foundation to plant the trees and study how to reforest them successfully.

"This month, USDA is highlighting innovative agricultural and conservation efforts, and NRCS is currently accepting grant proposals.

"The grant of $500,000 from NRCS has enabled the foundation to create research orchards, like the one on the Copes’ land. The forests consist of chestnuts, northern red oaks and white pines, and the goal is to find ways to out compete the white pines.

The American Chestnut Foundation was founded in 1983 by a group of plant scientists who recognized the severe impact the demise of the American chestnut tree had on communities, forests and wildlife.

"The foundation started #crossbreeding American chestnut trees with #ChineseChestnutTrees, which are naturally resistant to the blight. Once a half American-half Chinese tree was created, it was then crossbred with an American, resulting in a 75 percent American chestnut tree. These trees don’t have any Chinese characteristics, except for a resistance to the blight.

"As a part of this grant program, the group or individual awarded the grant must work with farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. In this case, they worked with the Cope family to study and monitor chestnut growth.

"The Copes’ enthusiasm made them a great candidate. Actually, James Cope still has the froe, a cutting tool, his grandparents used to split chestnut shake shingles and rails for split rail fences.

"We’re excited and hopeful about the work underway at the Copes’ land. One of the things I most love about my country is that even in the bleakest of circumstances, there is always room for a miracle. For me, one of those miracles is the 27 tiny American chestnuts struggling on a hillside in eastern #Kentucky."

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/passionate-couple-usda-team-miracle-bringing-back-american-chestnut

#SolarPunkSunday #Trees #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #CastaneaDentata #AmericanChestnuts #AmericanChestnutTree #ChestnutTrees #ChestnutBlight

Holiday revelation: Wild #AmericanChestnuts thriving on biologist’s land in #Maine

21 December 2025

"A documentary-style environmental investigation reveals a remarkable and little-known success story: thousands of wild, healthy American chestnut trees flourishing on the Maine forest land of renowned biologist and author Dr #BerndHeinrich. Their vigorous natural growth—and possible blight resistance—directly counters long-held beliefs that the iconic species survives today only as scattered, doomed sprouts.

"Dr Heinrich, professor emeritus of the Biology Department at the #UniversityOfVermont and author of more than 20 books on biology, including the celebrated memoir A Year in the Maine Woods, has spent more than four decades observing the chestnuts on his hundreds of acres. Dr Heinrich has also authored over 100 scientific papers.

"In 1982 Heinrich planted wild American chestnut seedlings on his land. Since then, blue jays and squirrels have spread the trees widely across the forest. Working with University of Vermont students, he has documented well over a thousand thriving chestnut trees—some now representing three generations of natural regeneration. Each has been GPS-mapped through long-term field study.

"The Wild American Chestnut, a new film, produced by Global Justice Ecology Project (GJEP), captures Heinrich guiding viewers through this extraordinary landscape. The film discusses projections that the American chestnut is shifting its range northward due to climate change, opening new opportunities for survival beyond its historical geographic limits.

" 'This film presents some good news about the wild American chestnut and is a stark contrast to claims by some researchers that genetically engineered trees are the only path to restoration,' said Anne Petermann, Executive Director of GJEP. 'It was stunning to see so many robust trees—three full generations growing naturally—when the efforts to engineer blight-resistant chestnuts have produced nothing but failures.'

"This discovery unfolds against the backdrop of major setbacks for biotech-based restoration strategies. In December 2023, The American Chestnut Foundation withdrew its support for a genetically engineered chestnut that was decades in development, after multiple documented research errors revealed the tree to be genetically defective.

"The investigation filmed on Heinrich’s land provides a powerful counter-narrative: wild American chestnuts may already be mounting an unexpected comeback—quietly, naturally, and without genetic engineering."

Source:
https://gmwatch.org/en/106-news/latest-news/20625-holiday-revelation-wild-american-chestnuts-thriving-on-biologist-s-land-in-maine

To learn more about the film: TheWildAmericanChestnut.org

Or view the film on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebywGe-J730&feature=youtu.be

#SolarPunkSunday #Trees #SaveTheForests #SaveTheTrees #AmericanChestnutTree #ChestnutTrees #CastaneaDentata

When it comes to standing up to #Trump, I laud #Maine Governor #JanetMills. But when it comes to #Wabanaki #Sovereignty, building wind terminals on undeveloped islands (#SearsIsland / #Wahsumkik ), destroying untouched forests to supply #WesternMass with electricity, or building highways through farmland (#MDOT), we definitely DO NOT always see eye-to-eye!

Governor opposed to latest change to #SettlementAct backed by #WabanakiNations

by Emma Davis
Wed, April 9, 2025

"Discussion of legislation to afford the Wabanaki Nations more authority over their land revealed that Gov. Janet Mills does not support the change, presenting a steep path for a plan that otherwise has bipartisan support.

"After not testifying during the public hearing last week, the governor’s counsel, Jerry Reid, told the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Mills’ concerns stem from the inability to predict the future needs of state government, an issue also raised in written testimony from the #MaineDepartmentOfTransportation, which was made available after the hearing.

"When pressed by committee members, Reid said he doesn’t have a specific example of an infrastructure project that would warrant seizing tribal land but that, 'We need to write the law mindful of the potential for problems.'

"While Reid and Wabanaki leaders noted that progress has and continues to be made to improve the relationship between the state and Wabanaki Nations, Reid added, 'the fact that we have such a good relationship right now might not always be true.'

"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, a principle known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.

"The 1834 federal Indian Nonintercourse Act prohibited land transactions with tribes unless authorized by Congress. However, the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act specified that that federal law was not applicable to the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation.

"This is the act that has overall resulted in the Tribes being treated more akin to #municipalities than #SovereignNations. So far, sweeping changes to the act have failed due to opposition from Mills, but the governor, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.

"The legislation being considered this session, #LD958, would amend the Settlement Act to prohibit the state from exercising eminent domain on trust and reservation land, which is protected under federal law, though fee land — or private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to the state taking.

"The bill would also amend the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct to make this change for the Mi’kmaq Nation, which wasn’t included in the Settlement Act.

"On Tuesday, the Taxation Committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill to ensure equal tax treatment among all of the Wabanaki Nations, which Mills supports. #LD982 would provide the #MikmaqNation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 through an amendment to the Settlement Act.
State hasn’t exercised this authority in decades, but argues it’s necessary

"The state hasn’t exercised eminent domain over #TribalLands since the #SettlementAct. However, testimony from Wabanaki leaders and state government officials underscore that it is a possibility."

Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-opposed-latest-change-settlement-185134791.html

#MaineSettlementAct #EminentDomain #LandTheft #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol
#NativeAmericanNews #TribalSovereignty #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveTheForests #MainePol

When it comes to standing up to #Trump, I laud #Maine Governor #JanetMills. But when it comes to #Wabanaki #Sovereignty, building wind terminals on undeveloped islands (#SearsIsland / #Wahsumkik ), destroying untouched forests to supply #WesternMass with electricity, or building highways through farmland (#MDOT), we definitely DO NOT always see eye-to-eye!

Governor opposed to latest change to #SettlementAct backed by #WabanakiNations

by Emma Davis
Wed, April 9, 2025

"Discussion of legislation to afford the Wabanaki Nations more authority over their land revealed that Gov. Janet Mills does not support the change, presenting a steep path for a plan that otherwise has bipartisan support.

"After not testifying during the public hearing last week, the governor’s counsel, Jerry Reid, told the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that Mills’ concerns stem from the inability to predict the future needs of state government, an issue also raised in written testimony from the #MaineDepartmentOfTransportation, which was made available after the hearing.

"When pressed by committee members, Reid said he doesn’t have a specific example of an infrastructure project that would warrant seizing tribal land but that, 'We need to write the law mindful of the potential for problems.'

"While Reid and Wabanaki leaders noted that progress has and continues to be made to improve the relationship between the state and Wabanaki Nations, Reid added, 'the fact that we have such a good relationship right now might not always be true.'

"The U.S. government can seize private property for public use, a principle known as eminent domain, however that authority is restricted by the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires just compensation for land taken, as well as some federal laws.

"The 1834 federal Indian Nonintercourse Act prohibited land transactions with tribes unless authorized by Congress. However, the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act specified that that federal law was not applicable to the #HoultonBand of #Maliseet Indians, the #PassamaquoddyTribe and the #PenobscotNation.

"This is the act that has overall resulted in the Tribes being treated more akin to #municipalities than #SovereignNations. So far, sweeping changes to the act have failed due to opposition from Mills, but the governor, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted adjustments, including expanding tribal authority to prosecute crimes last year.

"The legislation being considered this session, #LD958, would amend the Settlement Act to prohibit the state from exercising eminent domain on trust and reservation land, which is protected under federal law, though fee land — or private property for which the owner owns the title — would still be subject to the state taking.

"The bill would also amend the 2023 #MikmaqNationRestorationAct to make this change for the Mi’kmaq Nation, which wasn’t included in the Settlement Act.

"On Tuesday, the Taxation Committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill to ensure equal tax treatment among all of the Wabanaki Nations, which Mills supports. #LD982 would provide the #MikmaqNation the same rights to sales tax revenue on its land that the other three tribes of the Wabanaki Nations were granted in 2022 through an amendment to the Settlement Act.
State hasn’t exercised this authority in decades, but argues it’s necessary

"The state hasn’t exercised eminent domain over #TribalLands since the #SettlementAct. However, testimony from Wabanaki leaders and state government officials underscore that it is a possibility."

Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-opposed-latest-change-settlement-185134791.html

#MaineSettlementAct #EminentDomain #LandTheft #FirstNations #WabanakiConfederancy
#MaineFirstNations #Maine #MainePol
#NativeAmericanNews #TribalSovereignty #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveTheForests #MainePol