From my previous posts you may know that the Wilton Town Forest is a mixed eastern hardwood forest with the majority of the canopy bio-mass in American beech. The balance of the canopy is comprised of Hickory, Red and White Oak species (which I’m not particularly good at identifying without a dichotomous key) and a strong representations of black birch and the facultative wet Red maples as well as Sugar maples. The sub-canopy is an interesting mix of Witch hazel, Dogwoods, Mountain Laurel, and the Pinkster Bloom Rhododendron.

For whatever reason, the stage of autumn defoliation made it easy to pick out the American chestnut – and it turns out the Forest is full of them! I didn’t take my camera – a mistake I will not soon repeat – so I can’t show the details I am about to describe. Please accept these most boring descriptions from a seasoned yet hopefully humble observer of all things in the woods – especially chestnut. The chestnut in the forest is very slow growing on account of the dense canopy. They are clinging to a tenuous existence. However this creates some interesting morphological features not found in the orchard chestnut, or other trees typically visited in recent clearcuts or alongside the roads. The trees are small, and appear to grow quite slowly. Trunk dbh rarely exceeds a few inches. There is little evidence of blight infection on the trunks and I did not see evidence of cryphonectria blooms. I’m not sure why. The density of American chestnut trees, plus the considerable population of other members of the fagaceae family should mean blight is prevalent. Back to morphology – the leaves of many of the trees were quite small – eight inches in length and up to a maximum of about twelve, but with the bulk in the smaller size. The petioles were small or non-existent (see photo below). Bud angle was acute and twig stems were reddish-brown. The leaves were canoe shaped, and hairless top and bottom. Leaves were of a dull appearance and the hooks American in shape. The most interesting morphological feature was the trunk which was more gray than I typically see in northern CT. One of the trunks, of about two inches DBH had pronounced fissures – an atypical feature here in CT for a tree so small. They also have less of an apically dominant character than trees in open sunlight – perhaps simply because they are so far below the closed canopy.

I stopped counting at one hundred trees. But I’m sure the quantity was many times that number. They were found mostly on the flank to the east of the river, some even uncharacteristically in what I would have guessed might have been poorly drained areas. There were many Mountain Laurel present in the same areas, a good indicator for chestnut. It is quite encouraging to know that this part of Fairfield County has such densities of remnants. Below is a scan of leaves with a closeup. I also provide this link [1.3mb] to a large quality scan for those of you interested in looking for pubescence. I am sending off a collection of leaves to Professor Fenny Dane at Auburn University for cpDNA and nuclear DNA Testing, and will include this sample.

Now for the really exciting report. While hiking on the orange trail just north of the section where it hugs the stream where a tumble would surely result in a broken leg or neck (recent trail upgrade) I heard a whoosh of magnificent dimension and looked up to see some type of raptor crash through the canopy and land in the top of an Oak fifty yards to the northeast and slightly uphill. My daughters (seven and nine) and I quietly walked off the trail and toward the area hoping to see more. The creature was content to make a continuous sound, not unlike a threatened squirrel. My nine year old with her super sharp ears triangulated the sound and pointed to the top of a large oak. And I was surprised to look up into what looked like a giant gray flaky bees nest – only to have a pair of giant black eyes let me know my motions were equally being observed. Sitting sixty feet above the forest floor, the owl was clearly enormous, perhaps thirty inches tall in perched position – with perhaps a girth of thirty six inches – much larger than any of the local owls outlined by CT Audubon. We lay on our backs in the leaf litter and watched him, as he watched us for twenty minutes. Had I brought my camera, it would have been trivial to take a clear photo. Getting chilled, we got moving and took the blue trail loop all the way north, and then cut back along the mid trail past the campsite back toward the stream crossing. Sure enough the enormous owl was still there, though this time apparently sound asleep. We bid adieu and made our way home.

It didn’t appear to have any male catkins – but the presence of wires might make pollination difficult if not impossible. It is located right next to telegraph pole 2330, and about one-quarter of a mile south of the West Redding Train Station.

In relatively modern times, with the advent of film photography, the Magic Lantern became a popular way to tell stories and moral tales. Inevitably, the advance in developing series based Magic Lantern shows led to the motion picture with the new technology gradually gaining favor. The Magic Lantern, while a cultural treasure, is now a collectors item and special event rather than mainstream entertainment.

Still, the Magic Lantern can be used where film cannot. I was reminded of this yesterday when opening my mail upon returning home. I had a package, a gift, from friend Terry Borton of the Magic Lantern Show. Terry knew of my interest in the American chestnut and provided this most unusual Magic Lantern slide used for scientific lectures. He very graciously provided me this beautiful slide of what is labelled Castanea vesca. L Var Amer. Chestnut. The top reads Stereoptician Preparations of Woods, by Romeyn B. Hough, B.A., Lowville, NY. In this case the slide is in fact a very thin slice of chestnut – something not possible with film.

The above image is a photograph of the slide showing the detail present on the slide fixture. The below is a transparency scan which shows the actual image as it might have appeared projected on the wall of a classroom. Terry Borton informs me that there may have been slides for twenty five or so species and that these were likely used in a classroom environment for teaching.

The understanding of ecologists is that the tree would require the American chestnut characteristics to compete successfully in the forest setting.  And that trees with inferior apical dominance for instance, would be at a distinct disadvantage and would not get their genes successfully into the next generation.

The regional adaptability program was conceived by Dr. Larry Inman from the University of Minnesota and written about as early as 1987.  The basic premise was that trees in different regions had evolved and that it would be necessary to capture the genes from these adapted ecotypes to provide the project with trees of the exhibited pheno and genotypical variety.  This might include flowering time, disease tolerance, cold tolerance and certainly morphological variety.  The practical approach to implementing a regional adaptability program was to create state chapters where the chapters could identify their significant remaining trees.  The genes would be captured by pollinating these trees (if flowering) with advanced breeding pollen and then growing their progeny for selection based on resistance and ecological “timber” form.  This one local generation potentially captures about half the local genes.  The selection may drive that in one direction or another.  There has been talk about trying to increase that to 75% with additional local pollinations.

This approach has many interesting components, but one which greatly interests those of us active in the program.   Finding local American chestnut of a size that they might flower, and in a location that they can be successfully pollinated. In Connecticut, this proves especially challenging. Connecticut was the site of many early chestnut resistance experiments and the location where Dr. Arthur Graves and others have performed many breeding experiments. The result is that many of the trees found throughout the state are in fact trees that Graves or his associates planted forty or more years ago. They are a variety of crosses of Chinese chestnut and Japanese chestnut and even perhaps some back-crosses.  Locations of only a small percentage of these are known.   They are generally discovered (rediscovered) when someone receives a telephone call with the report of flowering American chestnuts. This sighting is evaluated with a site visit, and often samples taken for analysis.

A training session with summer intern Christine Cadigan provided an opportunity to compare chestnuts in their native setting to with other hardwood species.  Several species are challenging to distinguish from American chestnut at a distance.  American beech (Fagus grandifolia), Black birch (Betula lenta) and even Hickory (Carya sp.) leaves can all be very similar in appearance to American chestnut especially early in the season befor the chestnut leaves have achieved full size and their darker color.  Our walk led us past at least thirty American chestnut trees – of which unfortunately – only perhaps two are accessible and have a good chance of flowering this year.

After the session I had the opportunity to stop and visit several other trees that had been reported as surviving American chestnut.  Disappintingly, these trees were hybrids or even Chinese chestnut.  Clearly someone had decided to plant them in the specific location and while I didn’t take a core, I would estimate their age at 30 years plus.  There was evidence of heavy fruiting (spiked husks on the ground) and little evidence of blight.

These can be compared to the leaf samples (below) I found in Wilton, CT just a few days earlier.

Using the table in figure 2 of the recovery of American character paper by Hebard, Stiener and Diskin we can compare the above samples.

Comparing the leaves, we can see that the Wilton sample has a more oblong shape with an acute versus obtuse base. The twigs are reddish in color and thin as compared to the heftier twig of green color of the unknown sample from New Hartford. The stipules are barely visible in the American sample from Wilton and almost overwhelm the unknown sample from New Hartford.
It is certainly worth noting that the New Hartford tree was within a quarter mile of the vast number of American chestnut samples growing wild. The trees are out there – we just have to try harder to find them.

I’ve hiked in the outdoors my entire life so I am no stranger to seasonal change.  The Town Forest however has been a recent discovery and my experience was limited to the winter landscape.  I was therefore surprised by the extent of the changes over the past week.  Whereas the winter landscape offered extended views through mature Beech forest, spring growth had transformed that to a much more private and intimate experience.  It is almost like one walked into a new and different ecosystem.

But with the leaves out new opportunities were at hand.  Sparkle and I  made several new and exciting discoveries.  First was the blooming Rhododendron nudiflorum (Pinkster Bloom)  which is exciting not only because of the delicate nature of the flowers, but also because they arrive weeks before the shrubs foliage.  It received its name “pinkster”  from the Dutch of the New World from the fact that it blooms at Whitsuntide or Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter.   Pentecost has its roots in the Greek “pentekoste” meaning the fiftieth day after Easter.   Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, is the 3rd Sunday in the Paschal lunar month and celebrates the third day after crucifixion – when Jesus ascends to heaven.   Traditionally, Easter season lasted until Ascension Day (forty days past Easter) but now is generally assumed to last until Whit Sunday.  Whit Sunday commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of flames to the Apostles, as recorded in the New Testament.  So translating those dates to the Calendar … Easter was April 12th, and Whit Sunday is May 31st.  So the Pinkster Bloom is a wee bit earlier this year than the Dutch must have encountered it way back when.  I was particularly excited that this shrub was not listed on the NY/CT Botany list of shrubs for the Wilton Town Forest.  A new discovery!

I’ll be very excited to keep hiking the western blue trail as it passes on its way north though a beautiful hemlock forest.  I remember the days before the wooly adelgid and the incredible beauty of the Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) as the new growth of a lighter color comes in and presents the visitor with the beautiful variegated leaves.  Truly one of spring and summer’s great pleasures.  As the trail once again starts to dip I notice a size-able cluster of Cypripedium macrocanthus just getting ready to bloom.  I can’t wait! And don’t ask me to tell you exactly where unless you’re prepared to put a damage waiver in escrow.  Not too much further along I finally found my first Chestnut though we later found two more trees along the hike.  This was quite an accomplishment seeing as 85% of the trees were Beech, with an additional 5-10% being comprised of Birch or Hickory.  For those in the know, all of those leaves have at least some morphological resemblance to American chestnut.  At this time of year, the Beech are especially difficult to tell apart from Chestnut.  But I sent my sample photos on to Sara Fitzsimmons at Penn State (and the American Chestnut Foundation) and she kindly confirmed that she too felt they were American. I was particularly excited that this tree was not listed on the NY/CT Botany list of shrubs for the Wilton Town Forest.  New discovery number two!  This was only my second American chestnut found to date in Wilton.  The other is on the property of Franklin Wong.  I’m sure there are many more .. perhaps even one getting ready to flower and donate their genes to generations to come.  If only they will announce their presence.

The last find is common but beautiful nonetheless.  The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is one of my favorite of all flowers.   I love the shape and color and the little curls and colors of the petal ends.  And while unlike the Pinkster Bloom, the flowers of which arrive long before the leaves, the showy flowers of Cornus florida arrive in tandem, though much larger and showy than the leaves.  It is a beautiful accompaniment.