Free Talk: The American Chestnut Story

St. Luke’s Parish Hall, 1 Ruggles St. Westborough MA
The American Chestnut Story
And Westborough Community Land Trust Annual Meeting
Did you know there is an American Chestnut tree breeding orchard in Westborough? In this program by the Westborough Community Land Trust, learn the fascinating story behind the work that is being done there: What happened to the American Chestnut, a former keystone species in the eastern woodlands? What is Chestnut blight, and how did the scientific community react when it was first discovered in 1901? How did a single pathogen cause an entire species to become functionally extinct? What progress has been made in trying to restore this "Sequoia of the East” and is there any hope of success? The sweeping Chestnut saga will be shared in a presentation on Monday, June 12, at 7 pm, at St. Luke's Parish Center, 1 Ruggles St., Westborough MA. Follow this iconic tree's story from the separation of the continents and the last glaciation to the current understanding of the Chestnut genome and advances in biotechnology. Note that this is a talk, not a walk, but it may be of interest to those who like to walk in the woods of New England.
Presenter Brad Smith joined the American Chestnut Foundation in the early 1990's, upon spotting his first Chestnut in the wild after reading a National Geographic article about this new organization. He became a board member of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Chapter soon after its founding in 2000; he is a past president and remains a director. He has been involved in surveying, pollinating, planting, harvesting and crossbreeding Chestnuts for the last two decades. Brad has recently retired from teaching Latin for 35 years, and has lived in Westborough since 1988.
Free and open to the public. Presentation will start at 7 pm; WCLT Annual Business Meeting will follow the presentation at about 8 pm. Non-members are welcome to leave after the presentation.
For questions, contact events@westboroughlandtrust.org