Silvicultural and Topographic Controls on American Chestnut Establishment

The overall objective of this project is to develop establishment strategies to guide chestnut reintroduction in the Southern Appalachian region. Specifically, this study will compare initial establishment and chestnut seedling growth on productive, moist sites and on xeric, sites of intermediate productivity. Seedlings will be established in openings created by timber harvesting and under existing stands where light has been increased moderately through understory removal. The distinct moisture and light conditions found within the various silvicultural treatment will present chestnut seedling varying degrees of competition with fast-growing hardwood species, such as yellowpoplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). The project will take a regional approach and gather information from sites across the original range of chestnut in eastern Kentucky. In addition to the immediate information gained regarding chestnut silviculture, this work will build a collaborative network of forest researchers and land managers with interest in addressing questions surrounding the potential and the mechanisms for American chestnut reintroduction to Kentucky forests.