Bringing Back the American Chestnut

Mike Aucott of the American Chestnut Foundation will present the importance and recent tragic history of this iconic tree, which once dominated Eastern forests but was virtually wiped out by an imported blight that appeared in the early 1900s. He will describe the challenges and describe the several varied strategies underway that are part of the effort to help propel the tree over what researchers have called "the cusp of extinction" and to re-establish it in the North American forest. Mike will include a simplified description of the genetics involved in developing a blight-resistant that can thrive in the forest environment. He will also discuss the importance of local efforts to find surviving American chestnuts, and offer keys to help identify this tree.

The event is being held at the Shoppes at Castle Inn in Delaware Water Gap where American Chestnut logs were used as the ceiling beams.
Anyone can attend for the requested donation of $5 per person, but members of the Friends and people under 18 are free! ​​

Visit the Friends pre-registration page to let us know you will be attending by clicking on the Get Tickets link or visiting http://www.friendsofdewanps.org/events.html.

Mike Aucott holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Rutgers University. He retired from his position as research scientist for the NJ Department of Environmental Protection in 2012.

URLs:
Booking: https://go.evvnt.com/1353312-0?pid=176
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/1353312-2?pid=176
Facebook: https://go.evvnt.com/1353312-3?pid=176 

Category: Community | History

Time: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm