Comments on: New life from an old chestnut http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/ How can we live without the unknown before us? —Rene Char Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:25:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Via Negativa » Blog Archive » Silver Line http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-214914 Via Negativa » Blog Archive » Silver Line Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:14:13 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-214914 [...] I have been taking down the living room floor, going back and forth with a short, heavy, and very loud dancing partner: a Silver Line sanding machine, fitted with a Baldor industrial motor that blew a couple of fuses yesterday morning before I plugged it into another circuit. The floor, which had been painted in a patchwork of colors and covered most recently by a tattered green carpet, is very soft and rough, and I’ve guessing it’s hemlock. A pine floor would be much more desirable for refinishing purposes, but part of me wants it to be hemlock, milled from trees that grew right here on the mountain, perhaps. In a few more years, all the mature hemlocks in the hollow will be dead, due to the woolly adelgid invasion, so the floor could serve as a memorial of sorts. It’s fitting, I suppose, because the all-but-vanished American chestnut is probably responsible for much of the exterior planking. This 150-year-old house is becoming haunted in a way few people would expect. __________ [...] [...] I have been taking down the living room floor, going back and forth with a short, heavy, and very loud dancing partner: a Silver Line sanding machine, fitted with a Baldor industrial motor that blew a couple of fuses yesterday morning before I plugged it into another circuit. The floor, which had been painted in a patchwork of colors and covered most recently by a tattered green carpet, is very soft and rough, and I’ve guessing it’s hemlock. A pine floor would be much more desirable for refinishing purposes, but part of me wants it to be hemlock, milled from trees that grew right here on the mountain, perhaps. In a few more years, all the mature hemlocks in the hollow will be dead, due to the woolly adelgid invasion, so the floor could serve as a memorial of sorts. It’s fitting, I suppose, because the all-but-vanished American chestnut is probably responsible for much of the exterior planking. This 150-year-old house is becoming haunted in a way few people would expect. __________ [...]

]]> By: American chestnut on Brush Mountain bears nuts « Plummer’s Hollow, Pennsylvania http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-209772 American chestnut on Brush Mountain bears nuts « Plummer’s Hollow, Pennsylvania Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:17:43 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-209772 [...] chestnut on Brush Mountain bears nuts Jump to Comments This past May, we discovered unmistakeable evidence that one of the American chestnut trees on topof Laurel Ridge had borne a crop of nuts the previous autumn. The tree was about fifteeen feet off the trail, and some 40 feet tall. It seemed to be still in good health, with no large lesions from the blight, but when I checked again this afternoon, its leaves were all brown — except for the four-foot-high sprouts at its base. Read more in my post at Via Negativa. [...] [...] chestnut on Brush Mountain bears nuts Jump to Comments This past May, we discovered unmistakeable evidence that one of the American chestnut trees on topof Laurel Ridge had borne a crop of nuts the previous autumn. The tree was about fifteeen feet off the trail, and some 40 feet tall. It seemed to be still in good health, with no large lesions from the blight, but when I checked again this afternoon, its leaves were all brown — except for the four-foot-high sprouts at its base. Read more in my post at Via Negativa. [...]

]]> By: Dave http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-206421 Dave Tue, 04 Sep 2007 02:09:47 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-206421 Amen, Larry. Glad you liked the post, and thanks for stopping by. Amen, Larry. Glad you liked the post, and thanks for stopping by.

]]> By: Larry http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-206415 Larry Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:49:55 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-206415 Wonderful post, I intend to add the American Chestnut to my list of keystone species when I teach that concept to my 8th graders this fall. Lets hope that the next few generations understand the unintented consequnces of our actions and possibly gets to see a few of these great trees. Wonderful post, I intend to add the American Chestnut to my list of keystone species when I teach that concept to my 8th graders this fall. Lets hope that the next few generations understand the unintented consequnces of our actions and possibly gets to see a few of these great trees.

]]> By: Dave http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204592 Dave Thu, 30 Aug 2007 03:10:49 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204592 Hi Joel - I haven't read that novel yet - sounds as if I should. I'm also only vaguely aware of the wild cucumber you describe (possibly from seeing a close-up at Paula's House of Toast), so I'm afraid I can't answer your question. jarrett - Well, I think we're talking about different kinds of relaxation - or not. I've never pretended to buy into Buddhist ideology. I do enjoy hearing these kinds of responses though. Thanks. Carolyn - I hope your tree makes it a while longer. But as i said, sometimes they don't show much sign of infection before they die. Steve and David Harmon - I have a big dead elm on the other side of my front yard - just died last year. And ten feet closer to the house is the stump of my butternut tree, another victim of deadly fungus wiping out the species. Our beeches down in the hollow don't have the beech bark disease yet, but they say it's only a matter of time. Our flowering dogwoods are fewer and fewer every year due to dogwood anthracnose, and oh yeah, the hemlock woolly adelgids should finish off our hemlock trees over the next ten years. Emerald ash borer is now in PA, and we have a lot of white ashes here. So yeah, there are a lot of tree species on the way out. David Gorsline - Thanks for stopping by. Yeah, so much of i.d.ing for non-experts like us is corroborated by the natural context. It's hard to tell with a garden. Hi Joel – I haven’t read that novel yet – sounds as if I should. I’m also only vaguely aware of the wild cucumber you describe (possibly from seeing a close-up at Paula’s House of Toast), so I’m afraid I can’t answer your question.

jarrett – Well, I think we’re talking about different kinds of relaxation – or not. I’ve never pretended to buy into Buddhist ideology. I do enjoy hearing these kinds of responses though. Thanks.

Carolyn – I hope your tree makes it a while longer. But as i said, sometimes they don’t show much sign of infection before they die.

Steve and David Harmon – I have a big dead elm on the other side of my front yard – just died last year. And ten feet closer to the house is the stump of my butternut tree, another victim of deadly fungus wiping out the species. Our beeches down in the hollow don’t have the beech bark disease yet, but they say it’s only a matter of time. Our flowering dogwoods are fewer and fewer every year due to dogwood anthracnose, and oh yeah, the hemlock woolly adelgids should finish off our hemlock trees over the next ten years. Emerald ash borer is now in PA, and we have a lot of white ashes here. So yeah, there are a lot of tree species on the way out.

David Gorsline – Thanks for stopping by. Yeah, so much of i.d.ing for non-experts like us is corroborated by the natural context. It’s hard to tell with a garden.

]]> By: David Gorsline http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204578 David Gorsline Thu, 30 Aug 2007 02:00:00 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204578 I tried to key out a <a href="http://nouveau.home.comcast.net/blog/2005/10/05.html" rel="nofollow">tree that I noticed in an office park</a> where I worked a couple of years ago (in Northern Virginia), but I was never confident that I had a <i>C. dentata</i>. I tried to key out a tree that I noticed in an office park where I worked a couple of years ago (in Northern Virginia), but I was never confident that I had a C. dentata.

]]> By: David Harmon http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204507 David Harmon Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:50:05 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204507 I've heard the blight's result described as turning the American chestnut from a tree to a woody shrub. In any case, the plant has already reached a basic accomodation with the fungus that allows it to keep reproducing. It might someday shake off the parasite anyhow, but at this point natural selection isn't going to be in much of a hurry. If we want to see that species getting to full size again... well, it's up to us. As (iirc) G. Harry Stine said, "we <em>are</em> as gods -- it's about time we started getting good at it." America's been losing an awful lot of its large trees to various blights and infestations.... Eveything from Dutch Elm disease to the misnamed "sudden oak death". I’ve heard the blight’s result described as turning the American chestnut from a tree to a woody shrub. In any case, the plant has already reached a basic accomodation with the fungus that allows it to keep reproducing. It might someday shake off the parasite anyhow, but at this point natural selection isn’t going to be in much of a hurry. If we want to see that species getting to full size again… well, it’s up to us. As (iirc) G. Harry Stine said, “we are as gods — it’s about time we started getting good at it.”

America’s been losing an awful lot of its large trees to various blights and infestations…. Eveything from Dutch Elm disease to the misnamed “sudden oak death”.

]]> By: Steve http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204444 Steve Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:02:45 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204444 I'm reminded of a recent trip to Lincoln Park in Chicago where we saw a mature American elm. The wind patterns off Lake Michigan have at least slowed the spread of Dutch elm disease there. On the Pentacrest of the University of Iowa there was a George Washington elm--grown from the stock at Mount Vernon. It's gone, along with virtually every fully-grown American elm in the Midwest. But like your chestnut husks, the elm in Lincoln Park signifies hope that such beautiful trees might grace the countryside again. I’m reminded of a recent trip to Lincoln Park in Chicago where we saw a mature American elm. The wind patterns off Lake Michigan have at least slowed the spread of Dutch elm disease there. On the Pentacrest of the University of Iowa there was a George Washington elm–grown from the stock at Mount Vernon. It’s gone, along with virtually every fully-grown American elm in the Midwest. But like your chestnut husks, the elm in Lincoln Park signifies hope that such beautiful trees might grace the countryside again.

]]> By: Carolyn Hoffman http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204442 Carolyn Hoffman Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:45:48 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204442 Dave, I have one half-decent sized chestnut tree in my woods that I'm keeping an eye on. It's about the size of your tree. I haven't seen any signs of blight on it yet--no nuts at the moment, though. Still, it's in much better shape than most, and where would be without hope? Carolyn h. http://roundtoprumings.blogspot.com Dave,

I have one half-decent sized chestnut tree in my woods that I’m keeping an eye on. It’s about the size of your tree. I haven’t seen any signs of blight on it yet–no nuts at the moment, though. Still, it’s in much better shape than most, and where would be without hope?

Carolyn h.
http://roundtoprumings.blogspot.com

]]> By: jarrett http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204376 jarrett Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:31:13 +0000 http://www.vianegativa.us/2007/08/28/new-life-from-an-old-chestnut/#comment-204376 <i>"We can never quite relax." </i> The Buddhist in me would recoil, if recoiling were a Buddhist thing. We can <i>always</i> relax, and in doing so become more nimble in our dance with change. I want to appreciate the beauty of a world in which you are both right and wrong. A world where more people strive to protect the forests, but also where forests and species and life itself are just passing expressions of a larger force, as amenable to conservation as a breeze. Thanks for a thoughtful and educational post! “We can never quite relax.”

The Buddhist in me would recoil, if recoiling were a Buddhist thing. We can always relax, and in doing so become more nimble in our dance with change.

I want to appreciate the beauty of a world in which you are both right and wrong. A world where more people strive to protect the forests, but also where forests and species and life itself are just passing expressions of a larger force, as amenable to conservation as a breeze.

Thanks for a thoughtful and educational post!

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