The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust will host a live webinar at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, to learn about the efforts to restore the American Chestnut by Tom Klak, according to a news release from the land trust.
Klak is a Professor in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs at the University of New England, and the vice president and chairman of Gene Conservation at The American Chestnut Foundation’s Maine Chapter.
The presentation will focus on seven points about the American chestnut restoration, including its historical importance, how the fungal blight wiped chestnuts out, building blight-tolerance through transgenics, the importance of rescuing native genetic diversity from remaining wild trees, UNE’s approach to breeding chestnuts, and Maine’s first blight-tolerant American chestnut trees created this summer. One of the important chestnut orchards for gene conservation is at the Schoener Forest near Georgetown.
American Chestnut restoration efforts are currently in a crucial moment where their biotech approach is under review at USDA. There is a public comment period open until Monday, Oct. 19.
Participants will receive a Zoom link to the web-based lecture following their registration and again before the event. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions in the registration link and the chat box during the meeting.
For more information or to register, visit kennebecestuary.org or call 207-442-8400.
The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust is a membership supported organization dedicated to protecting the land, water and wildlife of the Kennebec Estuary. It maintains 12 preserves for public enjoyment and has protected 3,900-plus acres of land since founding in 1989.
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