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AUGUSTA — The Viles Arboretum has teamed up with Smart Eye Care and The American Chestnut Foundation to establish one of the first restoration sites in Maine for potentially blight resistant American chestnut species.
The arboretum. at 153 Hospital St., held a ceremonial planting on July 1 of three of the newly available variety of this once common forest species.
The new variety will pave the way for the eventual return of the chestnut tree to Maine forests, according to a news release from the arboretum, which also unveiled new interpretive panels that mark thie planting and provide educational information about the species and its recovery.
The Maine Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation uses conventional back-cross breeding to produce blight resistant American chestnuts well adapted to Maine. The establishment of this “orchard” is made possible through the financial support of Smart Eye Care, the release said.
The American chestnut tree once dominated 200 million acres of the eastern United States. Chestnuts were a primary food source for wildlife, livestock and people. Roasted chestnuts were sold by street vendors and the wood of the tree had hundreds of uses from fence posts to fine wood for furniture. Accidentally imported Asian chestnut blight reduced the American chestnut to understory shrubs in the early 20th century. The Viles orchard project is an important step in restoring American chestnuts to their former importance in the forests of Maine, according to the arboretum.
“Over the coming 10 years we will annually add to this one-acre site restoration, chestnuts that are increasingly blight-resistant and adapted to Maine’s soils and climate,” said Eric Evans, breeding coordinator for the Maine Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation. “Ten to 20 years from now, this new forest will begin to resemble the magnificent American chestnut forests our ancestors knew and loved – a wonderful gift from Viles to the people of Maine.”
Mark DesMeules, executive director of the Viles Arboretum, said, “As an arboretum, we are always seeking partnerships that allow us to provide our visitors with outstanding examples of the world’s trees and natural history. We have been working for over 18 years with The American Chestnut Foundation, supporting their work and offering the public a window into the world of the American chestnut. This new planting became a reality when our Business Partner Smart Eye Care approached us with an interest in being a financial catalyst to make this important step towards conserving this species a reality.”
The Viles Arboretum, 224 acres of fields, forests, wetlands and botanical collections in Augusta, offers an ever-changing selection of programs for the general public and for schools. It focuses on interactive, creative and hands-on teaching with a focus on natural history and unlocking everyone’s natural ability to understand nature.
For more information, visit www.vilesarboretum.org, find it on Facebook Facebook page, call 626-7989 or stop by.
