Tour of Berry’s American Chestnut orchard is Saturday

Published 8:20 pm Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Dr. Martin Cipollini, professor of biology, will be leading a tour of the Berry College American chestnut orchard this Saturday, May 22, beginning at noon on the Mountain Campus. The tours are open to members of the Georgia Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation as well as the general public. Admission is free.

The Berry orchard is part of a national effort to rescue the American chestnut tree from the brink of extinction. This enormous, fast-growing species was once a staple of Eastern forests before a devastating blight fungus decimated the population in the early part of the 20th century.

Planted in early 2007, the Berry orchard consists of more than 200 trees located on a 1½-acre plot near the famed Old Mill. Included in this orchard are pure Chinese chestnuts, which are resistant to the blight fungus, pure American chestnuts and hybrids of the two species. Blight has yet to set in on these trees, and many are now 10-15 feet tall and flowering.

During the tour, Dr. Cipollini will share his knowledge on a variety of topics related to the American chestnut. These include planting and growing chestnuts, collecting pollen and pollinating trees, controlling Phytophthora root rot, and blight-resistance testing and breeding.

Those interested in taking the tour should pack a lunch and meet at the Old Mill on Berry’s Mountain Campus at noon Saturday. Directions and maps are available at the main gate. Call 706-346-7956 or e-mail mcipollini@berry.edu for more information. Personal tours may also be arranged.

To learn more about efforts to restore the American chestnut, visit the American Chestnut Foundation website at www.acf.org.