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Fred Hebard, chief scientist with the American Chestnut Foundation's breeding program, "gets more requests from chestnut lovers vying for the right to plant a few B3F3s or their seedlings than he can grant," Susman writes. For now most of the test plantings are currently on government-operated forestland. Hebard knows he might not live to see the end of the project, which could take decades to determine new trees' level of blight resistance. "And that only tells you if you have a chance" at full resistance, he said. (American Chestnut Foundation photo)
Revitalizing chestnut populations could have a positive economic impact. "Americans spend $20 million a year importing chestnuts from Europe and Asia," Susman writes. The chestnut is attractive because it is gluten-free, cholesterol-free and less fattening than other nuts. "The trees' absence had a trickle-down effect on wildlife that foraged for chestnuts." (Read more)
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