The return of the chestnut -- a tree crop archetype | Hill Craddock | TEDxUTChattanooga
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. In 1904 a terrible pandemic struck the American chestnut, one of worst ecological disasters of the 20th century. Much scientific effort has been the focused on breeding a tree that combines disease resistance with timber form and other important adaptive characteristics. Our advanced hybrids are highly blight resistant. For the first time in history we may be able to reintroduce these trees into the forest in a way that will allow them to reproduce on their own and to continue their evolution. The return of the chestnut tree to the forest will depend on the concerted efforts of citizens, and scientists working together.
Dr. Hill Craddock is the Robert M. Davenport Professor in Biology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences. He grew up in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, son of a marine biologist father and an emergency room nurse mother, and went to sea for the first time at age 16, working summers on commercial fishing boats. He grew his first chestnut tree from a seed he planted at age 15, and he is still a chestnut enthusiast. He moved to Italy in 1987 where he and his wife Paola helped run her family's restaurant business. They moved with their son Emilio to Tennessee in November of 1994. Dr. Craddock's current research is focused on the restoration of the American chestnut to the Appalachian hardwood forest ecosystem and the establishment of a commercial chestnut industry in Tennessee. His project areas include breeding for resistance to chestnut blight and phytophthora root rot, Castanea germplasm collection and characterization, and chestnut cultivar evaluations.
Dr. Craddock completed doctoral and postdoctoral research on hazelnut and chestnut biology at the Universita' di Torino in Turin, Italy, before conducting research on anthracnose-resistant dogwood cultivars and on evaluating chestnut cultivars at the Tennessee State University/USDA-ARS Nursery Crop Research Station in McMinnville, Tennessee. He has been teaching introductory biology, mycology (the study of fungi; mushrooms, molds and yeasts), dendrology (the study of trees), and economic botany (the evolution and domestication of cultivated plants) at UTC since 1996. His research is supported, in part, by the Summerfield Johnston Endowment for the Restoration of the American Chestnut, The American Chestnut Foundation, the Bettie J. Smith LLC, and Dollywood.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Пікірлер: 44
Dr.Hill and his wife Paula are an awesome couple and veri knowledgeable on many trees and chestnut. My wife and I helped out in schucking chestnuts from their husks and we learned so much. They were so welcoming. Wish they were closer to middle Tennessee. And he spoke perfect Italian and Paula was a breath of fresh air. I was so happy that someone like them two were into the chestnut trees like I am. I was feeling like I was home in Tagliacozzo Italy. Thank you again Paula and Hill you made us feel like family.
He was my graduate professor. His zest for the chestnut is so infectious, I caught the chestnut-fever.
@vt2788
5 жыл бұрын
Damn what is in these chestnuts!?
@patrickwentz8413
4 жыл бұрын
infectious.... i c what you did there....
@leeannlawie6883
3 жыл бұрын
Just this video alone has me in tears! I thought I was a tree lover. This brings me to another level. His heart is golden.
Purity of the American Chestnut will be key in reintroducing it to the U.S. forests and as a planting in backyards. It is imperative that the native resiliency and traits found in the native strains be present and undiluted by non-native chestnuts that vary so vastly from the American Chestnut. That being said, it is good to see much of the speaker's zeal and desire to see these magnificent trees once more grace our land may come to fruition from the efforts of SUNY combating the blight through the genes of the tree while keeping it pure.
this may be true of all TED talks, but here it came to my mind with much force: how wonderful it is, to see humans enthusiastic about truly important things that so often are forgotten, or rather: play no part in mainstream everyday life. Ok, I like trees a lot, that's why I choose this talk, but the devotion of this man was a solace even when the story seemed to go bad for the chestnut. He is one of those true heroes, the world lives of, usually overlooked, working with quiet happiness and total concentration on a better future for all. Thank you very much, Dr. Craddock! By the way, I live in Germany, and here the non-edible kind chestnuts turn yellow, then brown and shed their leaves in august by now ... so those are sick as well, I'm sad to say.
@r.b.4611
9 жыл бұрын
Ann Dettmar Love me some Kastanie. Great comment Ann.
@ulalaFrugilega
9 жыл бұрын
Thanks =:O)
I can feel your heart in this. Thank you. Thank you so much for all that you do. I’ll be planting a chestnut in my urban yard this weekend and I am so lucky to be able to do so.
I love chestnut trees! Beautiful flowers with a lovely scent, wonderful shade, and quick growth. We need to bring them back.!
I am SO glad Hill Craddock gave this talk!! Thank you, Hill! It should be evident from the comments below that your work matters in a significant way. Hope for the flowers!!!
Thank you J Hill Craddock for doing this video. You have brought to people an awareness, a reason for hope, and a vision of future beauty in working on important things like the restoration of the American chestnut tree. May your efforts continue to go well in the future generations of these trees. The world needs your efforts and those of people like you working on other aspects of the American chestnut tree.
the world needs more of this!
I'm in his class, after randomly discovering this video...i'm DEFINITELY going to try and join the project this monday
@paprapple9398
4 жыл бұрын
So much research experience i’ve gained after almost 3 semesters of working with Craddock
Heroes. The ones who see the need for the perennialization of agriculture, and help to achieve it, are my heroes, even if they just buy the products.
I've been harvesting nuts to plant from the 5 trees my great grandfather planted back in the 40's. Very delicious nuts and beautiful trees.
Richard Power’s “The Overstory” let me know this blight ever happened. I never understood that the chestnut is endangered. That brought me to this youtube video. Now I get what happened. I am glad to know that people like Mr. Craddock are on the case.
Great information, and very timely. I am currently doing a group project concerning this issue in a Master's in Non-Profit Management class at UGA.
Restoring the Earth's primeval forests is the most important thing humans should be doing at this time..I'm so happy that other people share my opinion :)
The captioning needs to be edited so it's correct! Great video and I want to share it with my class.
I grew up with an American Chestnut tree in our front lawn. Each year we look for the flowers in May that eventually will grow the chestnuts that fill our lawn in the fall. For years we made necklaces, or made a spear and threw then across the road just for the fun of it and generations of children have swung from a rope swing from its strong branches. I can still hear the children plead "Higher, Higher". We have no idea of the age of the tree but we know it to be well over 100. The scarcity of these trees is one issue but irregardless of that, it has always been a special tree for for our family who continue to gather under the branches for many a family reunion. Attached are two photos of the tree/flowers. Hope that copies. /Users/JohannaRyan/Pictures/iPhoto Library 2/Previews/2014/05/28/20140528-175013/sqNAR%KmT3yBQj3hfRWx7w/IMG_3905.jpg /Users/JohannaRyan/Pictures/iPhoto Library 2/Previews/2014/05/28/20140528-175013/Sl63PnjaR7WlKmm9cStYyA/IMG_3906.jpg
@ellenrobinson162
8 жыл бұрын
+Johanna Ryan I can't view the photo of the chestnut trees. I'd love to see it. Can you repost?
@virginiarinkel7544
6 жыл бұрын
Johanna Ryan, are you speaking of a horsechestnut tree. If you only made necklaces or threw them, and didn't EAT them, then you are talking about a horse chestnut tree. The 'conkers' from that tree are poisionous and that is not an American chestnut tree. Any edible chestnut has a tail. Horsechestnuts do not have a tail. The American chestnut nuts are small, but have a tail and are very sweet. The larger European, European hybrids, Chinese, and Japanese species all have 'tails' also. Hope that clears this up for you.
The chestnut was an invaluable crop to the early european settlers to North America as even the most inept farmer or town person could pick up all the chestnuts they could eat in the fall for themselves and to feed pigs. Interesting when I was in Korea how valuable they are to the local population. I plan on planting 3 in my backyard this spring.
Nice
I get this man’s borderline mania about the trees. I have it too 🤦♂️ Locating surviving chestnuts whenever I’m in the woods, collecting long dead chestnut wood and making lumber from it, and my favorite thing is to find the flowering trees and collect the nuts, to plant them in the spring.
How may we get his Chestnut trees up in Canada?
I would love to plant some in Western Montana zone 5B. I have a few acres of land. What would you recommend? I want them to feed the deer and possibly to harvest a few for planting
Where do i get this guys awesome comb jelly shirt?
I can’t help but think that spotted lantern fly, another invasive Asian bug, will hve the taste for Chestnuts right as they’re starting to grow back...
would love to purchase some of these trees, where can I get them from
@rodyoung276
5 жыл бұрын
New Zealand perhaps. I have 139 trees 17 years old. the tree can sprout from a seed
6:40, And chestnut are very good for honey bees
Selective breeding practice
We are also losing the ash tree.
Chestnut blight in the early 1900 s
Is the Dunstan Chestnut tree the answer? They sell them at Walmart and Rural King Stores.
@danstadler3752
3 жыл бұрын
Not as I understand it. They’re fine for human harvesting and consumption, but Dunstan Chestnuts have too much of the Chinese chestnut in them to replace American Chestnuts in the woods
Squirrels
Tree hugger 😂😂😂