Rome sank what are hopefully deep roots into Georgia's first backcross chestnut orchard Saturday.
A group of nearly 20 volunteers and GATACF members spent the chilly morning planting nearly two dozen seedlings of four different types of chestnuts in an enclosed acre and a half about a quarter of a mile away from Berry College’s Old Mill.
The planting, in commemoration of Georgia’s Arbor Day, was done by the Georgia Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation
Martin Cipollini of Berry College, who chairs the GATACF tree committee, said the project is an experiment to help restore through crossbreeding the American chestnut population that was destroyed by the blight, a fungal disease that nearly wiped out the tree's population in the 1900s.
"We planted pure Americans chestnut trees, a breed called Chinkopins which are resistant to the blight, and two hybrids, a Tennessee American and Chinese hybrid and a Georgia American and Chinese hybrid. Both hybrids are 75 percent American and 25 percent Chinese," he said.
"When the plants get to be four or five years old, we'll then expose them to the blight and see which of the plants is resistant. The pure Americans act as a control," said Cipollini.
After the plants are exposed to blight, the group will test them for root rot, a disease unique to the South because of its warmer, damp climate. Cipollini said plants not showing signs of either disease will then be crossbred in hopes of creating a species resembling the
American Chestnuts but not susceptible to blight infestation.
Berry freshman William Watkins, who has worked on the project since October, said it will continue to grow and next year they hope to plant 300 more seedlings. "We wanted to test and make sure these plants will grow well and don't die in this environment," he said. "We'll do checks to see how they are coming through the year." The project will take nearly 10 to 12 years to complete, said Cipollini.
Arbor Day, a tradition started in Nebraska in the 1800s to furbish the once treeless state, is celebrated in Georgia on the third Friday in February each year. The National Arbor Day falls on the third Friday in April - which is April 27 this year.
