Project Director

Craddock, J. Hill

Department Examiner

Farnsley, Sarah; Shaw, Joey

Department

Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Castanea dentata growth and reproduction in the forest ecosystem is limited by light. Canopy gaps could be used for restoration efforts; however, the lack of blight resistant planting material has limited what is known about the silvicultural requirements of C. dentata. I studied the survival and growth of chestnut seedlings in various sized light gaps in the Cumberland Uplands in the 2019 season. The Tennessee Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation previously established Eagle Point Railroad (Cumberland Plateau) and the Starr Farm (Eastern Highland Rim), and I established a site near Barker Pounds trailhead (Cumberland Plateau). Results indicate that canopy openness, as well as seedling age and site selection, is a significant predictor of vertical growth for seedlings at Eagle Point Railroad and the Starr Farm. At Barker Pounds, first season mortality was 75.8%, and subsequent soil samples tested positive for Phytophthora cinnamomi which causes a root rot in C. dentata.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Hill Craddock for inspiration, direction, help, and advising on this project, as well as Dr. Paola Zannini for on the ground field work and encouragement. Landowners, Larry Taylor and Rogers Starr, were instrumental for their generosity in sharing their land for this research as well as guidance and work in the field. I thank Cumberland Trail State Park for providing land and excitement for chestnut reintroductions on Tennessee state land. I thank TN Division of Forestry for plowing the plots at Barker Pounds trailhead. Tom Saielli established the plantings at Eagle Point Railroad and advised me through the process. The American Chestnut Foundation provided seedlings and funded this research through the External Grants Program. I thank also the Tucker Foundation for a scholarship to continue at UT Chattanooga in American chestnut research. I thank also all those who assisted in field work, including Walter Crawford, Nathan Nelms, the UTC Greenhouse crew, Ivy Academy students, and other volunteers.

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2020

Subject

American chestnut; Forest canopies; Plant reintroduction

Location

Cumberland Mountains; Tennessee

Keyword

American chestnut; Canopy gaps; Castanea dentata; Conservation; Reintroductions; Silviculture

Discipline

Forest Biology

Document Type

Theses

Extent

viii, 66 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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