Celebrate the American Chestnut, Sept 12 The Viles Arboretum, celebrating trees and everything that lives in, on, under and around them at 153 Hospital in the Heart of Augusta, invites adults, children, and families to join in a fun and informative field excursion to see and experience the most iconic of American trees - the American chestnut. Join us on Sunday, September 12, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm, to learn about this fascinating tree, about the blight that nearly drove it to extinction, and about the efforts currently underway to restore this tree to its proper place in the forests of the Northeast. Eric Evans and other members of the American Chestnut Society will be present to help protect selected chestnut burrs and the seeds they contain for replanting. And as a special treat, historic blacksmith, Jeff Miller, of Flintlock Forge in Waldoboro, will be working at his forge amidst the chestnuts, just as if he were out of the pages of Longfellow’s famous poem, The Village Blacksmith, which will be read during the event. The American chestnut was once as common in our forests as the beech or maple. It was one of our largest tree species, too, reaching heights of over 100 feet. It was also a major source of food for people and wildlife and it was used for furniture, building timbers, and a host of other uses where light but durable wood was called for. Admission to this celebration of the American chestnut is free. Donations in support of the work of restoring the chestnut and sustaining the Arboretum’s chestnut plantation – an important source of pure chestnut genes – will be encouraged.
Posted on Tuesday, September 07, 2010 (Archive on Thursday, October 07, 2010) Posted by Jym St. Pierre   Contributed by
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