American Chestnut Reintroduction Efforts in Ithaca

The Ithaca College Natural Lands (ICNL) is currently cultivating a grove ofchestnuts in an effort to reintroduce this species to the Ithaca area. Because of the prevalent blight, ICNL is growing AmericanChinese hybrids that have been backcrossed several times; this forms a tree with the blight resistance of the Asiatic species but with the physical appearance of Castanea dentata. “Backcrossing” refers to the interbreeding of a hybrid species with either of the parent species in order to increase the occurrence of desired traits in the offspring. With time, ICNL hopes to share the fruit of these trees with Ithaca College and the surrounding community so that people may enjoy these chestnuts as Hemmingway once did so long ago.