Dr.Hill and his wife Paula are an awesome couple and veri knowledgeable on many trees and chestnut. My wife and I helped out in schucking chestnuts from their husks and we learned so much. They were so welcoming. Wish they were closer to middle Tennessee. And he spoke perfect Italian and Paula was a breath of fresh air. I was so happy that someone like them two were into the chestnut trees like I am. I was feeling like I was home in Tagliacozzo Italy. Thank you again Paula and Hill you made us feel like family.
this may be true of all TED talks, but here it came to my mind with much force: how wonderful it is, to see humans enthusiastic about truly important things that so often are forgotten, or rather: play no part in mainstream everyday life. Ok, I like trees a lot, that's why I choose this talk, but the devotion of this man was a solace even when the story seemed to go bad for the chestnut. He is one of those true heroes, the world lives of, usually overlooked, working with quiet happiness and total concentration on a better future for all. Thank you very much, Dr. Craddock! By the way, I live in Germany, and here the non-edible kind chestnuts turn yellow, then brown and shed their leaves in august by now ... so those are sick as well, I'm sad to say.
I can feel your heart in this. Thank you. Thank you so much for all that you do. I’ll be planting a chestnut in my urban yard this weekend and I am so lucky to be able to do so.
Purity of the American Chestnut will be key in reintroducing it to the U.S. forests and as a planting in backyards. It is imperative that the native resiliency and traits found in the native strains be present and undiluted by non-native chestnuts that vary so vastly from the American Chestnut. That being said, it is good to see much of the speaker's zeal and desire to see these magnificent trees once more grace our land may come to fruition from the efforts of SUNY combating the blight through the genes of the tree while keeping it pure.
I am SO glad Hill Craddock gave this talk!! Thank you, Hill! It should be evident from the comments below that your work matters in a significant way. Hope for the flowers!!!
Thank you J Hill Craddock for doing this video. You have brought to people an awareness, a reason for hope, and a vision of future beauty in working on important things like the restoration of the American chestnut tree. May your efforts continue to go well in the future generations of these trees. The world needs your efforts and those of people like you working on other aspects of the American chestnut tree.
Richard Power’s “The Overstory” let me know this blight ever happened. I never understood that the chestnut is endangered. That brought me to this youtube video. Now I get what happened. I am glad to know that people like Mr. Craddock are on the case.
Restoring the Earth's primeval forests is the most important thing humans should be doing at this time..I'm so happy that other people share my opinion :)
I get this man’s borderline mania about the trees. I have it too 🤦♂️ Locating surviving chestnuts whenever I’m in the woods, collecting long dead chestnut wood and making lumber from it, and my favorite thing is to find the flowering trees and collect the nuts, to plant them in the spring.
I grew up with an American Chestnut tree in our front lawn. Each year we look for the flowers in May that eventually will grow the chestnuts that fill our lawn in the fall. For years we made necklaces, or made a spear and threw then across the road just for the fun of it and generations of children have swung from a rope swing from its strong branches. I can still hear the children plead "Higher, Higher". We have no idea of the age of the tree but we know it to be well over 100. The scarcity of these trees is one issue but irregardless of that, it has always been a special tree for for our family who continue to gather under the branches for many a family reunion. Attached are two photos of the tree/flowers. Hope that copies. /Users/JohannaRyan/Pictures/iPhoto Library 2/Previews/2014/05/28/20140528-175013/sqNAR%KmT3yBQj3hfRWx7w/IMG_3905.jpg /Users/JohannaRyan/Pictures/iPhoto Library 2/Previews/2014/05/28/20140528-175013/Sl63PnjaR7WlKmm9cStYyA/IMG_3906.jpg
Johanna Ryan, are you speaking of a horsechestnut tree. If you only made necklaces or threw them, and didn't EAT them, then you are talking about a horse chestnut tree. The 'conkers' from that tree are poisionous and that is not an American chestnut tree. Any edible chestnut has a tail. Horsechestnuts do not have a tail. The American chestnut nuts are small, but have a tail and are very sweet. The larger European, European hybrids, Chinese, and Japanese species all have 'tails' also. Hope that clears this up for you.
The chestnut was an invaluable crop to the early european settlers to North America as even the most inept farmer or town person could pick up all the chestnuts they could eat in the fall for themselves and to feed pigs. Interesting when I was in Korea how valuable they are to the local population. I plan on planting 3 in my backyard this spring.
I can’t help but think that spotted lantern fly, another invasive Asian bug, will hve the taste for Chestnuts right as they’re starting to grow back...
I would love to plant some in Western Montana zone 5B. I have a few acres of land. What would you recommend? I want them to feed the deer and possibly to harvest a few for planting
Not as I understand it. They’re fine for human harvesting and consumption, but Dunstan Chestnuts have too much of the Chinese chestnut in them to replace American Chestnuts in the woods
