rarely, or never, get the chance to reproduce. To include the genes from these wild trees in breeding programs, TACF must find a way to reproduce them. One way to reproduce the trees is by grafting scion wood (winter twigs with dormant buds) onto rootstocks already growing in a greenhouse. Last winter, the Tennessee chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation initiated a statewide scion wood exchange among its members. Genetic material was collected from important surviving chestnut trees from across the state in the form of scion wood. These scions were then grafted onto select chestnut seeds or rootstocks for reproduction within controlled orchard settings. This allows for conservation of genes from trees that, due to blight or competition, cannot reproduce on their own. Mark Alexander is a graduate student at UTC and a research intern for the American Chestnut Foundation studying the conservation of chestnut genetic resources. In the winter of 2004, he gathered scion wood from the Lula Lake Land Trust for inclusion in this year’s scion wood exchange.

Accompanied by Dr. Hill Craddock and Chattanooga Chestnut Project researchers, he used the maps constructed by Jonathan Pewitt in 1999 to revisit the Lula Lake Land Trust chestnut sprouts. Many of the trees were still surviving and a few were found to be thriving in the light of canopy breaks caused by a 2001 tornado. Scion wood was successfully collected, and on February 21, 2004 at the 2nd annual TN-TACF grafting workshop, the scions will be grafted. In the controlled environment and full sun of the breeding orchard at Bendabout Farm, these clones may reach maturity and bloom. This will allow backcross breeding using locally adapted Lookout Mountain American parents.  

The eventual blight-resistant offspring will retain genetic adaptation for the unique local Lookout Mountain ecosystem and will thus be suitable for reforestation plantings. A grafted clone of a Lula Lake Land Trust chestnut tree was included in the research of UTC masters graduate Stephen Alexander. Stephen's work involved host-pathogen interactions and different levels of expression of hypovirulence in the backcross hybrid population at Bendabout Farm in Cleveland, Tennessee.

New research opportunities in chestnut conservation are continuing to surface as a result of the Land Trust's dedication to protect and preserve the natural beauty and abundant resources within the Rock Creek watershed. Plans are underway to investigate a unique genetic phenomenon occurring in the forests of Lookout Mountain. In 1997, molecular biology techniques were used to perform genetic analyses on samples taken from Lula Lake Land Trust chestnut trees visually identified as pure American chestnut. The results showed evidence of genes from another native chestnut species, the chinquapin (Castanea pumila). The presence of chinquapin on Lookout Mountain has been confirmed and a more detailed study of the possible chestnut-chinquapin hybrids is being planned. Mark Alexander is also working on a computer mapping project in conjunction with The American Chestnut Foundation, and the Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) facilities at UTC. A G.I.S. map has been constructed to catalogue the genetic resources of C. dentata across the entire region of the southeastern United States. The G.I.S. map functions also as a database, which spatially references chestnut breeding information.

In 2003 the breeding orchards at Lula Lake Land Trust were incorporated into this region-wide resource database.

Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) location was used to record precise coordinates for all trees, which were catalogued and linked with extensive genetic and ecological information for each tree.

In this way the research conducted at the Lula Lake Land Trust will benefit not only the local researchers of Lookout Mountain, but also those of the entire region. The preservation of the invaluable ecological data gathered at Lula Lake will be thus ensured and its application will benefit chestnut reforestation efforts for generations to come.

The return of the chestnut will require the concerted efforts of university, government, and private foundation researchers and the work of dedicated volunteer enthusiasts. Education and public awareness are a big part of the Chattanooga Chestnut Project and the Lula Lake Land Trust has proven to be a unique and bountiful resource.  Opportunities to learn about the chestnut project and to get involved are regularly available to the public. More information can be found on the Lula Lake Land Trust and Chattanooga Chestnut Project websites.