Science AMA Series: We are a team of ESF scientists who developed a way to make American chestnut trees resistant to the blight that virtually wiped out the species 100 years ago. We’ll talk about how we can help restore this iconic tree to our forests. AUA!

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Hi Reddit! We are a team of scientists at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York, and we’ve been working for 27 years to create an American chestnut tree suitable for restoration of our forests. Billions of these trees were killed by an invasive blight fungus that was first identified at the Bronx Zoo early in the 20th century. There are references to American chestnuts throughout our culture, with chestnuts roasting over open fires in the winter and Chestnut Streets running through towns across the country. Furniture made from American chestnut is long-lasting, as are barns that dot the countryside, because the wood is durable and rot-resistant. If the wood were available now, we might be building our backyard decks with it. Perhaps most significantly, the species’ abundant nuts were once a dietary staple for wildlife.

Our research team found a way to add one gene from wheat to the American chestnut’s 38,000 genes, to make it capable of withstanding what was once a fatal blight. It works by detoxifying oxalate, the major weapon the fungus uses to attack the tree. We use tissue culture to grow the trees initially, but we have now established seed orchards for future production. We continue testing to ensure these transgenic trees are safe for humans and the environment. The next steps are to establish a restoration forest for demonstration and research, and to obtain federal approval to distribute the trees to the public and introduce the trees into the wild.

Here’s an introduction to the people you’ll be speaking to today. We all represent ESF’s American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project.

• Dr. Bill Powell, director of the American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project

• Tyler Desmarais, master’s candidate in plant science and biotechnology

• Vern Coffey, master’s candidate in plant science and biotechnology

• Alex Levine, technician with the chestnut project

• Andy Newhouse, Ph.D. candidate in plant science and biotechnology

• Dr. Allison Oakes, postdoctoral fellow on the chestnut project

We’ll be back to start answering questions at 3 pm EST. We’re looking forward to it!

">Science AMA Series: We are a team of ESF scientists who developed a way to make American chestnut trees resistant to the blight that virtually wiped out the species 100 years ago. We’ll talk about how we can help restore this iconic tree to our forests. AUA!