If every Appalachian Trail Hiker would plant a tree along the trail we could start seeding trees from Georgia to Maine! Let’s get it done!

I know of a place in southern Indiana where American chestnuts are growing at this time. My father found a seedling in West Virginia, and planted it in his yard thirty five years ago. It's still growing, and reseeding his yard.

I grew up with an ENORMOUS American chestnut tree in my backyard as a kid in the 90s. My friend still lives in the neighborhood, and every time I go see him, I expect the tree to be sick, dead, or gone, but it’s still standing and looks good, I hope it lives forever. It’s got to be around 100’ tall and 7 or 8’ at the base. I hope this succeeds, I’ll not see the old giants again in my lifetime but I’ll be glad that future generations will.

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."

26 years of life and I never knew we were just missing a whole tree species, I feel like this is something I should have learned in school..

Outstanding job by all. Not only restoring trees but also my faith in humanity.

Bought 2 about 7 years ago disease resistant hybrids! Both look great. One producing nuts. One not but growing tall. Live in the Ozarks!

I was born in Europe, in the city Kostajnica (Chestnut). We had all mountings with chestnuts. I am in Va, now, and I have ordered 12 plants of chestnuts. I should get them in few weeks, and plant them in my green house first. In the Spring, they will go to my honey bees farm land. I like chestnut's honey, and I like to have these noble trees on my land. Even my neighbors do not know what is that. :)

I liked it very much, but wish Herb Darling of the Buffalo area was mentioned. He has played a huge role in helping fund this research and moving it forward. In fact, the resistant American chestnut variety is called Darling-58 after him.

Kudos to the dedicated team who are committed to preserving our forests.

I planted about 20 American Chestnut seedlings on my Oregon coast property about 30 years ago. They are still thriving. There's no Chestnut blight on the Oregon coast, I purchased my seedlings from a nursery in Washington State, where as far as I know there is also no blight. They upright like a timber tree as opposed to other species.

God Bless your efforts Dr. Powell and all your staff.

I would definitely be interested in purchasing some of those trees to plant . I live in Western North Carolina and would absolutely love to completely cover my property in American Chestnut.

I actually found American chestnuts online and I'm excited to plant them.

I planted 2 American Chestnut trees in my yard last year. My Grandparents talked about them when I was a kid, I remembered wishing they could be brought back. I live west of the Mississippi now, but there are a couple old growth trees in Iowa so some grew here in the past.

Thrilling for so many of us, who've missed this grand, exceptionally beautiful and bountiful tree since we heard of it's sweeping demise. Many people are now growing chestnuts once again.

"A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit." -- Greek proverb

Pay attention to how big they can grow. 10' diameter and 100' tall! That's approaching Sequoia dimensions in diameter. There some astonishing pictures of these enormous trees on the internet. An entire Appalachian culture revolved around them. A truly significant species.

I'm ready to start planting!!!! I've been planting Chinese just because I didn't want to plant something that would guarantee die. Id cut them down tomorrow if the became available

The Chestnut tree was very important to our pioneers. It works like Alder but is strong and durable. It was in fact used as fence posts and railroad ties. It also produces the sweetest Chestnut of all the varieties.

I’m frankly amazed that there weren’t any wild chestnut trees that survived the original blight that we could use as scion for breeding them.

Please bring back the American chestnut tree! It's an absolutely beautiful and necessary cause!

I'm 53 and when I was a young boy my father took me to gather chestnuts just down from our house. Man they were good and I pray they are able to save them.

I want one an would pay $100 to have one. I have a small farm in east Tennessee an have been trying to grow American chestnut's for 30 years and they always die .

i have a couple of trees I grew from seeds in my large garden in Australia. Can they be pruned to keep their size in check, like other fruit trees? Good luck with your work on this - what a nightmare to have lost such an important tree from your entire country!

Signed up to volunteer with the ACF!

Get these approved for release asap!

God bless you guys ❤🙏❤️

Good conservation

I would like to have some to plant on my property in SW VA.

While I know such things go on, I never realised this specifically was happening...and as a lab scientist that utilizes bacteria for gene expression, I found it even more interesting!

I do believe that sometime in the not too distant future a variety will be developed that can withstand this blight and from that point man will have to establish beachheads in various places around its historical range and at that point I believe this king of the forest will spread its seed far and wide and reclaim its rightful place in the ecosystem.

I Plan on planting 6 on our IOWA ACRE !!! WE'RE BUYING AT -STARK BROTHER,S !!!

The blite doesn't kill the trees till they start growing nuts. They grow about 5 years then they die off. They usually grow from a old dead chestnut stump.

I have quiet a few Chestnut Trees! 🥰

Excellent segment as far as it goes. Seems to me restration will be multipronnged. You did not mention the Dunston chestnut, and you did not address concerns about creating frankenplants completely. Still, the Darling 58 is very exciting for anyone who cares about the environment.😊😊😊😊❤

LONG LIVE THE CHESTNUT!

Wow. This would only be possible in my dreams. I really hope it is true. Making sure it doesn't harm anything? Do you mean like wiping out 4 billion American Chestnut trees? Do you mean like that kind of environmental damage? Please bring back the American Chestnut.

I wish they could bring back the billions of passenger pigeons with that tree!

Never plant a tree for yourself plant one for those that come after.

Beautiful tree

YAY! They said the magic words! Go down to the pay window and pick up your check!

I heard on other channels there are a few original American chestnut trees still alive and very big and old the way a heard it told is people that moved out of the natural range of the chestnut took seeds and trees with them and they were geographically far enough away the blight did not affect them I'd love before I pass away to see a original American chestnut tree full of burrs and stay and watch the burrs ripen and fall off the tree

I was wondering why I can't find one since I've been studying tree types. This explains it all.

Another very valuable foundation tree that is disappearing is the White Oak. The USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") is made from white oak. There was a symbiotic relationship between this tree and the now-extinct Carrier Pigeon. The white oak produced its acorns at the time of year when carrier pigeons were raising their young, and the poop fertilized the trees. Folks have talked about bringing the pigeon back with DNA work, but it's not obvious that modern society would be happy with the massive amount of bird poop that could be involved. I guess that starlings in their huge flocks have filled in the niche to an extent.

Dr. Powell, I have 40 acres in the north Arkansas Ozarks and would be willing to help you by planting some of your trees when the time comes. I've planted 4 Chinese and 1 Dunstan Chestnut on my farm already. Please let me know. Thanks... Dr. Neal Vickers

I hope it works for the American Chestnut. Efforts to restore American Elm with disease resistant cultivars has proven futile for almost 100 years now. Beech is all but gone. Ash is currently going through it's die out. Butternut has suffered a similar fate. Interesting refute to some of the info in this video. Conflicting numbers on the pervasiveness of the American Chestnut exist. 1 in 4 is the high side. 1 in 12 to 1 in 16 trees in the eastern forest is the low side. With a more modest interpretation of historical data putting it around 1 in 10 trees. Of course that would be an average over it's entire historical range. Certainly like many trees pure or nearly pure stands of Chestnut could have and most likely did exist. Helped out by it's large yeild of nuts. Also some evidence points that native American in some areas actually cleared forest of competing species to help increase their food source. Without a doubt no matter the true original numbers of this tree it is certainly an important species.

There is a 30 ft chestnut growing behind my neighbors house here in south central Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau

How many naturally resistant trees survived the blight? Being used for a restart?

Guess what leaves frogs also do better on, Ash, the next problem. Like others I have reservations about allowing release of Darling 58, still it's good work along with other efforts. If you have some land and want to plant chestnuts consider planting other native trees as well, ones that may not be represented currently on your property.

You can take some 20 inch cuttings from these resistant big tree's and put root grower on it and get a 2- 3 year sapling headstart on your American Chestnut

I look at it from an economic standpoint. 4 billion trees producing an average of 1 ton of nuts per tree. Let's say humans were collecting about 10 percent for economic purposes. At an economic value of 1200 dollars per ton. Thats 480 billion dollars of economic value wiped out from the Appalachian communities much of that going to working class folks. Add in another 400 billion in lumber value a year and your looking a tree with an economic value of nearly 1 trillion dollars at current market price. Then you have the environmental impact of this tree which likely was one of the single most contributing factor not only the local climate but likely the entire region. These trees were one of the most important trees economically for Americans a foundation for a forest but also like a foundation for household economics as well. Given the timing of the death of the American chestnut I have to wonder if it had a major impact on the great depression. That level of economic value to local communities across much of the United States would have been absolutely devastating.

any idea when resistant trees could purchased for planting

How do I get on a list to receive Darling 58's for my land after it is approved later this year or next?

I’m in! Looking to permaculture a fruit and nut orchard. I would love to plant them.

I would love to plant these trees on my property. Where and when can we get hold of some?

With the loss of three-billion trees like that of the American chestnut, I have a hypothesis that that was when our climate changes began. You cannot lose that many large, great trees - enough trees to absorb millions of tons of CO2 and produce enough oxygen for every man, woman, child, and animal on the planet - and not reap some horrifying environmental and climate change results. Our planet survives by these great trees, and when they are gone, the human race and animals suffer (will suffer) the consequences. It is imperative that we save and restore our native forests to a healthy status. When these chestnuts finally receive approval, I will be planting as many as I can.

How do you get seedlings to plant?

Im about to plant a bag full of chess nuts here on my property.. i got around 150 to get seedlings started out of!

Anyone have any information or experience with Dunstan chestnuts?

I think the biggest obstacle in restoration of this tree is government regulation. The USDA is responsible for most of the food and agriculture problems we currently face. Regenerative farming and doing things with in harmony with nature instead of chemical fertilizers and herbicides has proven to be best.

When you change the genetics it will affect many aspects of the tree, and everything it comes in contact with. What about long term effects?

Are these available yet?

The firefly mated on the American Chestnut.

I think it was done by the government. To bring the tree back you need to get rid of that blight that is still there.

I wish I could get a couple seedlings to plant here in eastern Oklahoma I saw one chestnut Tre in northwest Arkansas ten years ago I don't know if it's still there

i am 68 lived in Alabama all my lie. long ago a friend at work brought me some and they were great. As a scout leader i would like to get these trees planted. how do i get any?

I want to help bring the American Chestnut Tree back! 🖐

I'm all for this but are US forests less diverse now considering that we brought in new tree (and other plant) species along with the diseases?

I am curious whether any research has been done to see if the blight-resistant tree passes along its blight resistance to subsequent generations?

I will personally buy, seed or saplings, and plant 100 blight resistant trees myself if/when they become available.

Plant them in reclaimed strip mines. Barren ground ready for planting

I have land for some chestnut. Where do I start? Where can I get some to plant?

Where can I get one of this trees.... please I have 15 acres to plant a couple of them ....

I want some. Are they available???

Need some here in mississippi

Will the acid make the nuts taste bad?

They are growing in Lawrence, Kansas.

When? I will plant every seedling I get!

Is it assumed that the seed of these trees will be blight tolerant?

I would love to help I'm from Transylvania county North Carolina. My Appalachian heritage is very important to me let me know how I can help.

Were dealing with the Asian Longhorn beetle. Maple trees are being affected.

I would love to get some of the genetically altered trees added to my farm in northern Arkansas

Where can we get these seedlings? I had one American Chestnut on my property (central Oklahoma) but a flood took it out about 15 years ago. I would really like to plant some there.

Can it grow in Houston Texas?

Are the nuts (fruit) of this new tree GMO? Are they safe to eat? Do they taste as good as the original trees?

❤️❤️

I wonder if they would grow in North Florida? We have Asian Chestnuts in the area.

I'll plant trees! ✋️

There’s a lot of fear mongering around genetic engineering, most of it completely unwarranted. This is what it should be used to do.

Did it work?? Did they bring it back??? Asking from 2022

I have a chestnut in my backyard

William Powell died 11/12/23. Hope that the transgenic chestnut tree can be released into the wild this year.

Nowadays ppl don't care. I'm doing all I can to reforest this native tree. I've personally planted over 20,000 chestnut trees. I have 3000+ on my farm and have 30+ acres reserved for 100% Americans.

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

I would rather plant the nuts than order the seedlings. Where can I order nuts from the genetically modified variety?

Can an American Chestnut be propagated from cuttings?

Just plant the original trees in test patches ... like islands & valleys to start

Wonderful video. thank you for making and posting. So, what happened: did it get approved for distribution?? invasive Asian animals and plants have killed more native American species than any. Pox/bight on them!

This is science. Be thankful for scientists for careing. Just saying.