No brushes, no palettes and, technically, no paints were used.
Still, a series of “paintings” recently created in Clarke County could produce “artwork” that will wow generations to come.
The work was the latest example of REC's commitment to the environment and sustainability.
Over the summer, REC’s Vegetation Management team supported the Virginia State Arboretum’s initiative to pollinate American chestnut trees at Blandy Experimental Farm. They provided a bucket truck to assist in pollinating the chestnut flowers.
Once a dominant species in forests along the eastern United States, the American chestnut population has been devastated by a fungal disease — known as chestnut blight — that has brought it to the brink of extinction.
Since the 1980s, The American Chestnut Foundation has worked to develop a blight-resistant American chestnut tree via scientific research and breeding. Their goal? To restore the tree to its native forests.
On June 11, volunteers placed paper bags on individual chestnut flowers. Doing so eliminates the risk of cross pollination from Chinese chestnuts.
Two weeks later, the paper bags were removed and trees at Blandy Farm were hand-painted with pollen from a hybrid chestnut tree.
“American chestnuts and Chinese chestnuts were bred to be 15/16 American to eliminate the tree’s risk to blight,” explained Cindy Musick, Senior Director—Vegetation Management Services. “Pollinating the trees at Blandy Farm with the hybrid pollen will continue to help harden the American chestnut species, bringing us another step closer to restoring the native species.”
Chestnuts, the produced fruit, will be collected and planted to grow more hybrid trees, establishing another generation of blight-resistant American chestnut trees.
“We’re proud to assist efforts like the chestnut pollination,” Musick said. “It’s one of the many ways REC is able to actively and directly support our local ecology.”
