THROUGHOUT 4@THE SEASON. SHE HAS TIPS TO AVOID OVEREATING.
>>> AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW
ENGLAND, ONE PROFESSOR AND HIS
STUDENTS HAVE A LOFTY GOAL.
THEY WANT TO REVERSE THE COURSE
OF HISTORY.
>> PROFESSOR CLAP WANTS THE
LANDSCAPE TO LOOK LIKE 4@IT DID
IN THE 1900s BEFORE 4 BILLION
TREES WERE ACCIDENTALLY WIPED
OUT.
BETH IS HERE 4@WITH THE STORY.
TH?
BETH?
TH? BETH?
TH? BETH? >> Reporter: THAT MAY SOUND
IMPOSSIBLE, BUT THE PROFESSOR
IS TAKING IT ONE STEP OR 4@RATH
ONE SEED AT A TIME, AND 4@HE'S
MAKING IMPRESSIVE HEADWAY.
THIS IS THE SECOND UNIVERSITY,
THE FIRST IN NEW ENGLAND TO
SPEED BREED AN LEARN CHESTNUT
TREE, AND THAT IS THE FIRST
STEP TO 4@BRINGING BACK THIS
KEYSTONE SPECIES.
>> 4@THEE ARE THE 4@AMERICAN
CHESTNUT SEEDLINGS.
>> Reporter: PROFESSOR CLACK
AND HIS STUDENTS HAVE BEEN
TENDING TO THE SEEDS FOR MO4@NT
NOW.
>> THEY ARE 99.99% AMERICAN
CHESTNUT WILD TREE, BUT ONE
CHANGE WE INSERTED INTO THEM.
IT'S ABLE TO RESIST THE ASIAN
FUNGAL FLIGHT.
>> Reporter: IT WIPES OUT THE
AMERICAN CHESTNUT, BUT 4@NOW A
CHAIN THAT PROTECTS 4@THEM,
PERFECT, RIGHT?
ONE ISSUE, IT TAKES AT LEAST 10
YEARS UNTIL IT IS 4@MATURE ENOU
TO PRODUCE POLLEN, POLLEN THAT
WILL GROW NEW TREES.
>> IT'S ABOUT 4@SPEED BREEDING.
WE FEEL4@ A MORAL OBLIGATION TO
DO ALL WE CAN TO BRING IT BACK @
TO THE LANDSCAPE WHERE IT
BELONGS.
>> Reporter: FIRST, WHY IS IT
SO IMPORTANT ANYWAY?
THE QUICK HISTORY HERE.
>> AMERICAN CHESTNUT USED TO BE
ONE OF 4@THE MORE COMMON TREE I
THE FOREST, AND ARGUABLY THE
MOST IMPORTANT TREE IN TERMS OF
THE FOOD VALUE IT PROVIDED TO
WILDLIFE 4@AND TO PEOPLE.
>> Reporter: A CENTURY 4@AGO IT
WAS IN ABUNDANCE MAINE TO
ALABAMA AS FAR 4@WEST AS INDIAN
IT GREW TO 100 FEET TALL 4@AND -
INCHES INCHES IN 4@DIAMETER.
IN SOME PLACES, ONE OUT OF
EVERY 4@FOUR TREES WAS AN
AMERICAN 4@CHESTNUT.
>> THE APPALACHIANS RELIED ON
THE CHESTNUTS.
>> Repo4@rter: THE WOOD WAS USE
FOR FURNITURE, POWER LINES, AND
BUILDINGS.
>> ROASTED OUT IN THE STREETS
OF THE BIG CITIES OF THE 4@EAST
COAST, BOSTON, PHILADELPHIA,
CALLED THE CRADLE TO GRAVE
TREE.
>> Reporter: IN THE 19004@s, A
FUNGAL BLIGHT FROM ASIA WAS
ACCIDENTALLY BROUGHT TO THE
U.S. WHEN PEOPLE STARTED TO
IMPORT SMALLER ASIAN CHESTNUT
TREES TO DECORATE THEIR
BACKYARDS.
>> IT SPREAD RAPIDLY 4@THROUGHO
THE EAST.
BY THE 1950s, IT KILLED 4
BILLION TREES WITHIN HALF A
CENTURY.
>> Reporter: EVEN THOUGH THE
AMERICAN CHESTNUT CAN STILL BE
FOUND IN MAINE, TODAY ITS
4@ NUMBERS CONTINUE TO
DETERIORATE.
>> IT'S FUNCTIONALLY EXTINC4@T
BECAUSE IT CANNOT REPRODUCE 4@
LIKE IT NORMALLY WOULD.
THE BIOTECHNOLOGY APPROACH TO 4@
PROTECTING THE AMERICAN
CHESTNUT.
>> Reporter: CLACK PARTNERED
WITH THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF
NEW YO4@RK, AND THE TWO
INSTITUTIONS ARE THE ONLY 4@ONE
IN THE WORLD SPEED BREEDING4@ T
NEW YO4@RK, AND THE TWO INSTITUTIONS ARE THE ONLY 4@ONE IN THE WORLD SPEED BREEDING4@ T@
AMERICAN CHESTNUT WITH THE
CHANGE.
>> WE ARE 4@TRYING TO PUSH THE
SEEDLINGS THAT ARE ONLY 9
MONTHS OLD TO SEXUAL MATURITY.
>> Reporter: WHEN THEY PRODUCE
POLLEN, MOTHER NATURE TAKES
TIME.
>> NORMALLY IT TAKES 4@MANY
YEARS, AND IN THE OUTDOORS 10-
15 YEARS.
>> Reporter: IN NOVEMBER THE 4@
TEAM 4@DID IT.
THEY SUCCESSFULLY GREW A
SEEDLING IN 9 MONTHS THAT WAS 4@
PRODUCING POLLEN.
HOW THEY DID IT?
THE PLANT GROWTH CHAMBER,
BASICALLY GIVING THEM WHAT THEY
HOW THEY DID IT? THE PLANT GROWTH CHAMBER, BASICALLY GIVING THEM WHAT THEY@
WOULD EXPERIENCE IN THE PEAK
SUMMER LIGHT, AND IT'S EVERY
SINGLE DAY, AND NO RESTING
PERIOD, AND NO 4@DORMANT PERIOD
OR WINTER PERIOD.
>> Reporter: THE GROWTH CHAMBER
GIVES IT HIGH INTENSITY LIGHT
FOR 16 HOURS A DAY AND
REGULATES THE TEMPERATURES AND
HUMIDITY.
>> WE HAD IT AS A GOAL, BUT WE
DIDN'T KNOW 4@IF WE COULD ACHIE
REACHING THIS LEVEL BECAUSE TO
PUSH A 4@TREE THAT QUICKLY TO
SEXUAL 4@MATURITY IS CHALLENGIN
>> Reporter: TYLER MANDU WAS
THE FIRST TO SPOT THE POLLEN.
>> HE HAS AN EYE FOR IT.
>> IT WAS AMAZING ONCE I FOUND
IT AT FIRST I WAS SPECTACLE.
>> 4@Reporter: HE BROUGHT IT TO
THE 4@PROFESSOR 4@FOR
CONFIRMATION.
>> HE WAS LOW KEY, LIKE WHAT DO
YOU THINK THIS 4@MAY BE?
>> THE AMOUNT OF WORK 4@WE PUT
TO 4@GET RESULTS T ACCOMPLISHIN
AND SELF-REWARDING.
>> Reporter: WHAT TAKE AS
DECADE TO 4@ACCOMPLISH IN NATUR
THE TEAM HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO ON
THE CAMPUS IN LESS THAN A YEAR,
AND IT'S NOT JUST IN 4@THE GROW
CHAMBER.
>> IT'S THE FIRST AMERICAN
CHESTNUT TO REPRODUCE POLLEN.
>> Reporter: SHORTLY AFTER 4@
STUDENTS FOUND POLLEN ON THE
GROWTH CHAMBER 4@PLANTS, THE
SEEDLINGS WERE PRODUCING POLLEN
AS WELL.
>> WE FINALLY ESTABLISHED OUR
GOAL OF POLLEN IN THE
GREENHOUSE.
>> Reporter: 4@THE TEAM REGULAT
THE PLANT'S LIGHT, HUMIDITY,
WATER PH LEVELS, AND EVEN TALK
TO THE PLANTS.
>> I JUST TELL THEM THEY ARE
DOING GREAT, AND THAT I'M PROUD
OF THEM AND THAT 4@I LOVE THEM.
>> Reporter: THE PROFESSOR AND
HIS STUDENTS ARE COLLECTING THE
POLL WITHIN THE WHEAT 4@CHAIN 4
FREEZING IT.
THEY ARE AWAITING FDA APPROVAL
AS THEY TRY TO BRING 4@BACK THE
SPECIES.
>> IT'S THE BIGGEST ECOLOGICAL
REVERSAL WE WILL 4@BE ABLE TO 4@
ACHIEVE.
WE NEED TO REINSTALL THE
KNOWLEDGE IN OUR CULTURE HOW
IMPORTANT THE TREE IS TO THE
EASTERN UNITED STATES, AND WE
ARE GOING TO DO IT.
>> 4@Reporter: THE PROFESSOR IS
HOPING4@ IT WON'T BE LONG UNTIL
THE BLIGHT 4@RESISTANT SEED IS
AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC SO
PEOPLE CAN START TO PLANT IT.
>> HAVE YOU EVER 4@HAD ROASTED
CHESTNUTS?
>> NOT UNTIL I 4@MET PROFESSOR
CLACK.
HE GAVE ME 4@SOME, AND THEY WER
DELICIOUS.
>> REALLY?