Darling 58 Open Comment Period

Please show your support for the Darling 58 blight-tolerant American chestnut tree by submitting a comment to the USDA! The public comment period is open until December 27,2022. More information can be found at SUNY ESF’s American Chestnut Project or at The American Chestnut Foundation’s Resources page.

The Bur Newsletter

In the latest issue of The Bur:

•  NY-TACF’s first “in person” Annual Meeting in three years
•  District Director Reports: What’s happening around New York State
•  Transgenic Chestnut Work Growing Beyond New York State
•  ESF research updates

Erik Carlson’s Interview on the Talking Biotech Podcast

Erik Carlson, an ESF graduate student, recently discussed the American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project on Talking Biotech Podcast. In November 2021, Erik published a paper in Molecular Plant Pathology on new lines of transgenic American chestnuts developed with the win3.12 inducible promoter from poplar (Populus deltoides) driving OxO expression. The oxalate oxidase gene from wheat confers elevated chestnut blight resistance in American chestnut. The podcast discusses the background of the project, where the project stands, and the regulatory environment of repatriating a forest with engineered trees.

Pollination Workshop

ESF’s American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project discussed their outcrossing plan, as well as how to pre-bag female flowers, how they collect transgenic Darling 58 pollen, what to do when pollen is received, how to perform controlled pollinations, and how to protect nuts from animals during a virtual pollination workshop.

The workshop, beginning with a 20 minute video, can be view through TACF’s Chestnut Chat Series event listing.

The Village Chestnut Tree Podcast

All across North America and Europe, trees are under mortal threat. In The Village Chestnut Tree podcast, Emmett Hoops discusses American chestnuts and what’s being done to save them.

Latest Episode: Years End Ideas

The Chestnut Tree Video

Produced by the Templeton Foundation, one of our donors.

American Chestnut Seed Engraving

Sergey Jivetin creates elaborate engravings on the shells of seeds, including a series carved on American chestnut seeds depicting TACF’s American chestnut restoration efforts. On the first image below, the lower right-hand nut illustrates the American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project’s insertion of the Oxalate Oxidase gene into the American chestnut genome. The second image is a larger representation of that nut. To see more of Sergey Jivetin’s work, check out his website, Furrow Seed Engraving Project.