new england regional restoration workshop february 12, 2011 portsmouth, nh r estoring the a merican...
TRANSCRIPT
NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL RESTORATION WORKSHOP
FEBRUARY 12, 2011
PORTSMOUTH, NH
RESTORING THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT
HOW FAR HAVE WE COME?
THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT AND TACF
American Chestnut: The TreeMajor component of eastern forests
Fast growth, large, extremely rot resistant
High-value timber species
Nuts valuable to wildlife
Tannins used in tanning leather
Nuts valuable to people and livestock
Culturally significant
Chestnut Blight
Blight first identified in New York in 1904
Fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) girdling canker
Two vectors for spread:
airborne ascospores and sticky, spiral conidia (asexual spores)
Chestnut BlightSpread very quickly
Functionally wiped out chestnut as over-story tree by 1950’s
TACF Backcross Breeding Program
Goals:To develop blight-resistant American chestnuts
To ensure regional adaptability
To ensure long-term resistance
TACF’s Breeding PlanExpect to produce a tree with a high level of blight-resistance and American chestnut character and the ability to survive and compete in the forest.
Meadowview Research Farms
Location:Meadowview, VASupport:TACF’s Chief Scientist Dr. Fred Hebard, research assistants and farm staff
Completed 4 generations of breeding since 1989
Started with 2 advanced sources of resistance ‘Clapper’ -1st backcross from USDA
breeding program ‘Graves’ – 1st backcross from CAES
breeding programAdapted cultural methods to reduce
generation times Flowering and selection size
achieved in 2-4 yearsCurrently home to
34,000 trees on over 150 acres
TACF Backcross Breeding Program
Goals:To develop blight-resistant American chestnuts
To ensure regional adaptability
To ensure long-term resistance
TACF State ChaptersCurrently 17 state chapters from Maine to Georgia
Carry out the TACF breeding program locally
Tasked with inventorying local, wild American chestnuts
Conducting controlled pollinations and harvesting nuts
Planting and maintaining orchards
Educating the publicAll-volunteer with regional
staff support
TACF Backcross Breeding Program
Goals:To develop blight-resistant American chestnuts
To ensure regional adaptability
To ensure long-term resistance
We have been producing B3F3 nuts in Meadowview since 2005
Most B3F3s have gone into large test plantings
It will take a long time before we know how they will perform in the forest
Chapter breeding programs are a generation or two behind
What’s Next?
WHAT IS RESTORATION?
RESTORATION
The Society for Ecological Restoration’s (SER) definition of ‘ecological restoration’:
“Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.”
And an…“intentional activity that initiates or
accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its health, integrity and sustainability.”
What Is Restoration?
Process vs. Practice
The process of ecological restoration includes a wide range of practices including: erosion control, removal of exotic native species, reforestation, re-vegetation of disturbed areas, etc.
Are our current practices part of the restoration process?
Establishment of TACF Structured organization
created a network of state Chapters and volunteer-run breeding orchards to develop blight-resistant trees
Breeding Developing a tree with
adequate levels of blight-resistance and American growth characteristics
Testing Evaluating the
effectiveness of our breeding program through progeny tests and silvicultural testing in the “real world”
Reintroduction Returning the chestnut to
our eastern forestsBreeding – Testing –
Reintroduction represent TACF’s practices in our overall process of restoration
TACF’s Restoration Practices
RESTORATION
Breeding
Testing
Reintroduction
TACF and our partners will need to advance our breeding program while testing and conducting early reintroduction.
Restoration operates on a continuum.
Restoration
RESTORATION
Breeding
Testing
Reintroduction
Breeding has been our central focus
Look to progeny plantings as an opportunity for reforestation and testing
Long-term testing of most advanced breeding generations
Incorporating results into future breeding efforts
Restoration
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
Restoration Plan
Draft restoration plan presented in April 2010 Provided a good foundation for
discussion Generated a lot of questions and
suggestions Highlighted a need to make this a
much more methodical and inclusive process
New strategic planning approach Start with data collection
Collect member/partner questions and suggestions
Use data to guide strategies
Restoration PlanData collection starts with four focus areas or “tracks”
Regional Meetings Gather input and recommendations
from our members and partners Hosted regionally by TACF’s RSCs
Breeding and Testing Chair – Dr. Kim Steiner; Penn State
University
Development and Business Chair – Michael Doochin; Interstate
Packaging Company
Reintroduction and Ecology Chair – Dr. Brian McCarthy; Ohio
University
Regional MeetingsRegional Meetings Subject –Specific TracksSubject –Specific Tracks
Gather member and partner input regarding all three subjects: Breeding/Testing Business/Development Reintroduction/Ecology
Provide input to subject-specific tracks
Use notes from Regional meetings to help focus discussion
Meetings open to all, but field professionals and experts in the subject will be encouraged to participate
Restoration Plan
Data synthesized and reviewed
Writing/review groups established
Draft plan developed for initial review
Restoration Plan
Restoration Plan
Regional meetings complete by early March 2011
Subject-specific tracks scheduled and completed by May 2011
First draft available for review by Fall 2011 Draft should be presented at fall
Board Meeting/Annual Meeting Available for member/partner
review shortly thereafter
Reasonable timeline…
THANK YOU!