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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=woeste@purdue.edu href="mailto:woeste@purdue.edu">Woeste, Keith E</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=Larry.E.Morse@lem-natural-diversity.com href="mailto:Larry.E.Morse@lem-natural-diversity.com">Larry.E.Morse@lem-natural-diversity.com</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 8/7/2008 10:02:48 PM </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> butternuts</DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Dear Larry;</FONT></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">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.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">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, <I>Juglans ailantifolia</I>), 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. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">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.</SPAN></P></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Our long-term goals are </SPAN></P></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> 1. Conservation of as much of the genetic diversity of the species as we can obtain.</SPAN></P></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> 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. </SPAN></P></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">We need local germplasm to carry out these objectives. </SPAN></P></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">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.</SPAN></P></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">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. </SPAN></P></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">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. </SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3>Yours sincerely,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>Keith Woeste</DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Keith Woeste</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">USDA</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Forest</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Service</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Department of Forestry and Natural Resources</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Pfendler Hall</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Purdue</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> University</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">715 West State Street</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">West Lafayette</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> IN 47907-2061</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">web: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/HTIRC/woeste.html</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">phone: 765-496-6808</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">email: <A href="mailto:woeste@purdue.edu" target=_blank>woeste@purdue.edu</A> or <A href="mailto:kwoeste@fs.fed.us" target=_blank>kwoeste@fs.fed.us</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">fax: 765-494-9461
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<DIV>Larry Morse</DIV>
<DIV>Washington, D.C.</DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:larry.morse.dc@earthlink.net">larry.morse.dc@earthlink.net</A></DIV>
<DIV>(<A href="mailto:Larry.E.Morse@LEM-Natural-Diversity.com">Larry.E.Morse@LEM-Natural-Diversity.com</A>)</DIV>
<DIV>(202)-543-2488</DIV>
<DIV>< <A href="http://www.lem-natural-diversity.com/">http://www.lem-natural-diversity.com/</A> ></DIV></DIV></SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>