[MPWG] Butternut tree decline due to butternut canker -- USFS seeking information
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Fri Aug 8 09:20:16 CDT 2008
Butternut is also a medicinal plant! So, I thought I'd throw this e-mail
on this list, too (see below). If anyone has info or insights for this
researcher, please contact him directly.
For a list of some of the butternut species that are native to North
America, see:
NatureServe Explorer
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/
Type "juglans" into the 'Species Quick Search'
Hit "Go"
For info on some medicinal uses of butternut, see:
Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/ethnobot.html
Type "juglans"
Submit
University of Michigan Native American Ethnobotany database:
http://herb.umd.umich.edu/
Type "juglans"
Hit "Go"
Thanks,
Patricia
Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
US Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 110
Arlington, VA 22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276
Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural
resources.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>
----- Forwarded by Patricia De Angelis/ARL/R9/FWS/DOI on 08/08/2008 10:04
AM -----
"Larry Morse" <larry.morse.dc at earthlink.net>
Sent by: native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org
08/08/2008 05:53 AM
Please respond to
larry.morse.dc at earthlink.net
To
"PCA Native Plants List" <native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org>
cc
Subject
[PCA] Butternuts -- Extant sites wanted by USFS
----- Original Message -----
From: Woeste, Keith E
To: Larry.E.Morse at lem-natural-diversity.com
Sent: 8/7/2008 10:02:48 PM
Subject: butternuts
Dear Larry;
I am a Forest Service tree breeder and conservation geneticist working at
the USDA Forest Service Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center
in West Lafayette, IN. The Forest Service has become increasingly
concerned that butternut canker has led to a serious population decline
for butternut. Regeneration for this species has been extremely poor. As
a consequence, a program to collect and preserve a sample of the butternut
germplasm has been started. This year we hope to obtain seeds from as
many butternuts as possible. We (myself and a small group of Forest
Service scientists) are looking for any and all trees, not just trees that
look healthy or have good form because the goal is to sample the genetic
diversity of the species as broadly as possible.
The first step in our project is to simply identify living trees. That
part has been a challenge in the eastern U.S. for two reasons; first,
there are simply not a lot of butternuts left. The second challenge is
that the most commonly encountered ?butternuts? are actually hybrids
between butternut and heartnut (a.k.a. Japanese walnut, Juglans
ailantifolia), a species introduced in the 1860s. Hybrids were widely
planted as yard trees on farms and in small towns across the species'
range. We also find the hybrids in church yards and cemeteries. Hybrids
are starting to invade the forest because seed collectors pick them up as
?butternut? seeds. We have a DNA-based test that allows us to separate
hybrids from true butternuts. There are morphological traits that can be
used to separate butternuts from hybrids, but they are tricky. I can send
more information on this if you want to see it.
Our long-term goals are
1. Conservation of as much of the genetic diversity of the
species as we can obtain.
2. Production of seed orchards of disease resistant
butternut that would be locally adapted (one per state) and genetically
diverse. We have some excellent candidate resistant butternuts that we
will use as a source of genes for this phase.
We need local germplasm to carry out these objectives.
So here is what we are am asking people to do. If you know the location
of butternut trees in your area, please send me a note of where the tree
or trees are, if possible with gps coordinates, otherwise with section,
range, township, etc. If the tree is on private property, identify the
landowner if possible. If the trees are in the forest, they are probably
butternuts rather than hybrids. If the trees were planted or in a heavily
human-impacted area such as a reclamation site or a park, they are
probably hybrids, which we can?t use. If you are interested, we have a
testing lab here and I can send a protocol for submitting samples. The
testing is done under a program funded by us and the Nature Conservancy.
Next; a second goal is to propagate the trees. Again, we are interested
in any and all trees, not just healthy ones or trees with nice form. Most
of the trees people find now will be sick and on their way out. The
easiest way for us to preserve their genetics is to obtain seeds this fall
(if any). Having the tree locations will give us a shot at seeds over the
next few years. If you or the landowner might be able to pick some seeds
up, that is great. The amount of staff time I can dedicate to travel for
harvesting seeds is limited, and I have to cover the entire range of the
species. Anyway, if there are no seeds or the seeds can?t be easily
obtained, the hard way is to propagate them with grafts. We graft trees
every winter. If you can find butternuts, and we can arrange to get the
scion wood, we will graft them for long-term maintenance.
That?s the story. If there are ways you think you can help, please let us
know. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this long letter.
Yours sincerely,
Keith Woeste
Keith Woeste
USDA Forest Service
Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Pfendler Hall
Purdue University
715 West State Street
West Lafayette IN 47907-2061
web: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/HTIRC/woeste.html
phone: 765-496-6808
email: woeste at purdue.edu or kwoeste at fs.fed.us
fax: 765-494-9461
Larry Morse
Washington, D.C.
larry.morse.dc at earthlink.net
(Larry.E.Morse at LEM-Natural-Diversity.com)
(202)-543-2488
< http://www.lem-natural-diversity.com/ >
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