PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The regional chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation works is working with public and private partners across the commonwealth to help redress one of America's most severe ecological catastrophes, a few trees at a time.
Members of the area TACF chapter, which includes Rhode Island along with Massachusetts, gathered in Pittsfield last weekend to hold their quarterly meeting and tour the site of one of their new seed orchards, planted this spring in collaboration with the city and local partners.
"I was pleased that the city could host this chapter of the foundation," James McGrath, Pittsfield's parks, open spaces and natural resources manager told iBerkshires. "It's been a thrill to show them the park and the seed orchard that we've established."
The new Springside orchard, located north of the upper playground overlooking the back of Reid Middle School, is one of five examples of seed orchards that the regional chapter has worked to establish within these two states. Hundreds of specially bred hybrid chestnuts were planted in May by a number of local park volunteers under the guidance of Robert Presutti, resident professional arborist and Springside station chief for the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program.
Of these, only a small percentage will eventually inhabit that field when the project has run its course. These will be the ones that do not succumb, once they are intentionally subjected to the blighting parasite that once might have withered the entire crop.
"In 10 years time, over three-quarters of the trees will be gone and it will be down to around 20 regularly spaced chestnut trees," said ACF member Denis Melican, state Department of Conservation & Recreation supervisor for Moore State Park in Paxton.
The seed orchards represent a culmination of many years of research, horticultural work and planning by the TACF over the past quarter century. By carefully backcrossing the disease-prone American species with the more pathogen resistant Chinese chestnut, they have worked to produce a regionally viable tree that is genetically 75 percent American chestnut, resembling and producing nuts but greatly reduced susceptibility to the Cryphonectria parasitica that caused its downfall.
Prior to the fungal blight that felled the hardwood giants during the early 20th century, an estimated 4 billion American Chestnut trees grew across the East Coast, about 1/4 of the total hardwood population. This loss of some 200 million acres wood and food producing forest was considered a devastating commercial and environmental disaster.
TACF produced its first potentially blight resistant chestnuts in 2005, and sees its mission as restoration of an important species, while creating a template for the future restoration of other plant species.
This they are accomplishing through collaboration with test sites and seed orchards like Pittsfield's sprinkled throughout the country, and representatives of the regional chapter were busily preparing to develop new sites as they met at the park's Springside House.
As part of the partnership, municipalities like Pittsfield and other landowners must enter into a legally binding "Germplasm Agreement" with the foundation, which retains ownership of the germplasm, and no part of the trees are to be altered, sold or transferred to a third party. In the event a site no longer wishes to participate, they must give the foundation 60 days notice so they may attempt to remove and relocate the trees.
And while the organization has never had to legally enforce the agreement, as the number of sites and the trees themselves grow, some members say there is an increased need to protect the precious germplasm which has been developed at such care and expense.
"Now there's more risk," said Greg Curtis.
Nonetheless, the intention in locating in public sites like Springside is to ultimately have these trees be enjoyed, both aesthetically and for their edible by products.
"We want these to be public," stressed chapter President Yvonne Fedorowicz. "The goal is to repopulate the forest."
"We look forward to a long and healthy relationship with the American Chestnut Foundation into the future," said McGrath.
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North Adams Regional Reopens With Ribbon-Cutting Celebration
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
BHS President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz welcomes the gathering to the celebration of the hospital's reopening 10 years to the day it closed.
Hospital officials, local leaders, medical staff, residents and elected officials gathered under a tent on the campus to mark the efforts over the past decade to restore NARH and cut the ribbon officially reopening the 136-year-old medical center.
"This hospital under previous ownership closed its doors. It was a day that was full of tears, anger and fear in the Northern Berkshire community about where and how residents would be able to receive what should be a fundamental right for everyone — access to health care," said Darlene Rodowicz, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems.
"Today the historic opportunity to enhance the health and wellness of Northern Berkshire community is here. And we've been waiting for this moment for 10 years. It is the key to keeping in line with our strategic plan which is to increase access and support coordinated county wide system of care."
Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, under the BHS umbrella, purchased the campus and affiliated systems when Northern Berkshire Healthcare declared bankruptcy and closed on March 28, 2014. NBH had been beset by falling admissions, reductions in Medicare and Medicaid payments, and investments that had gone sour leaving it more than $30 million in debt.
BMC was able to reopen the ER as an emergency satellite facility and slowly restored and enhanced medical services including outpatient surgery, imaging, dialysis, pharmacy and physician services.
But it would take a slight tweak in the U.S. Health and Human Services' regulations — thank to U.S. Rep. Richie Neal — to bring back inpatient beds and resurrect North Adams Regional Hospital
The joyful celebration on Thursday at North Adams Regional Hospital was a far cry from the scene 10 years ago when protests and tears marked the facility's closing. click for more
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously gave Superintendent Joseph Curtis the green light for the SOI to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by April 12.
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The projects not making the cut were in the historic preservation and open space and recreation categories and though they were seen as interesting and valuable projects, the urgency was not prevalent enough for this cycle.
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The Licensing Board on Monday gave Pancho's Mexican Restaurant the OK to close one hour later — extending last call to 12:30 p.m. and closing at 1 a.m. There have been no reported incidents since a weeklong license suspension.
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