Could This "Darling" Be An American Chestnut Savior?

When was the last time you saw a healthy giant American chestnut in the wild? Chances are pretty slim, as the once common hardwood tree has been considered functionally extinct for more than seven decades. But decades of genetic engineering work at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in Syracuse and a recent deregulation decision from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service might point to progress, even if this news is met with concern by other organizations also working to bring this tree back. In this episode, our final episode in this year’s Leaf Watch series (and our season finale!), we visit Dr. Andy Newhouse, director of the American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project at SUNY ESF, to walk among the American chestnuts at an ESF experiment and learn about this science, the chestnut’s history, and its fight against blight. If you’d like to support the show, become a Friend here: https://www.thejiffy.xyz/upgrade Related readings and research: ESF: “USDA Approval Advances Efforts to Restore the American Chestnut” USDA APHIS: “USDA Deregulates American Chestnut Engineered for Enhanced Blight Tolerance” NPR’s Scott Simon: “Biologist Andrew Newhouse on the genetic revival of the American chestnut” The American Chestnut Foundation: comments to USDA APHIS on Darling 54, July 21, 2025 The American Chestnut Foundation: Darling 54 FAQ Canadian Biotechnology Action Network: “U.S. Genetic Engineering Experiment Threatens Endangered Chestnut Trees in Canada,” Sept. 2, 2026 American Chestnut Restoration, Inc. Tomato Tomato: “Can Chestnuts Save The World?” Parts 1 and 2 in this year’s Leaf Watch Series: Zaneta and Zoe at Zena Let’s Hang Out With Julia Whitney Barnes