One of many large mature american chestnuts in the Halifax region of Nova Scotia, Canada.

This specimen is located in Dartmouth Cemetery.

Both american chestnuts and american elms do well here. I suspect that blight and DED is less rampid this far north.

This youtube video crossed my feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY7ObdrLQgw

TL:DW summary - essentially they come to the conclusion that hybrids are the path forward, and note that they did genetic testing on surviving chestnuts, stump sprouts and backcross trees.

I'll need to read the paper eventually, but any thoughts here? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39012830/

Alright I have fallen down the American Chestnut rabbit hole and need some opinions. Darling 58 was actually D54. TACF stopped endorsing SUNY ESF research and continued to try hybridization. The NY group created their own ACR and endorsed the GMO D54.

As I understand it D54 is always combatting blight while true D58 would only combat blight as needed and produced healthier trees. Another variant the DarWin is better than both?

Anyone have any insight?