Film gives the lie to claims by some researchers that genetically engineered trees are the only path to restoration of the American chestnut
A documentary-style environmental investigation reveals a remarkable and little-known success story: thousands of wild, healthy American chestnut trees flourishing on the Maine forest land of renowned biologist and author Dr Bernd Heinrich. Their vigorous natural growth—and possible blight resistance—directly counters long-held beliefs that the iconic species survives today only as scattered, doomed sprouts.
Dr Heinrich, professor emeritus of the Biology Department at the University of Vermont and author of more than 20 books on biology, including the celebrated memoir A Year in the Maine Woods, has spent more than four decades observing the chestnuts on his hundreds of acres. Dr Heinrich has also authored over 100 scientific papers.
In 1982 Heinrich planted wild American chestnut seedlings on his land. Since then, blue jays and squirrels have spread the trees widely across the forest. Working with University of Vermont students, he has documented well over a thousand thriving chestnut trees—some now representing three generations of natural regeneration. Each has been GPS-mapped through long-term field study.
The Wild American Chestnut, a new film, produced by Global Justice Ecology Project (GJEP), captures Heinrich guiding viewers through this extraordinary landscape. The film discusses projections that the American chestnut is shifting its range northward due to climate change, opening new opportunities for survival beyond its historical geographic limits.
“This film presents some good news about the wild American chestnut and is a stark contrast to claims by some researchers that genetically engineered trees are the only path to restoration,” said Anne Petermann, Executive Director of GJEP. “It was stunning to see so many robust trees—three full generations growing naturally—when the efforts to engineer blight-resistant chestnuts have produced nothing but failures.”
This discovery unfolds against the backdrop of major setbacks for biotech-based restoration strategies. In December 2023, The American Chestnut Foundation withdrew its support for a genetically engineered chestnut that was decades in development, after multiple documented research errors revealed the tree to be genetically defective.
The investigation filmed on Heinrich’s land provides a powerful counter-narrative: wild American chestnuts may already be mounting an unexpected comeback—quietly, naturally, and without genetic engineering.
To learn more about the film: TheWildAmericanChestnut.org
Or view the film on YouTube.
The film premiere on 4 December was co-sponsored by:
Standing Trees
Dogwood Alliance
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network
Friends of the Earth US
Heartwood
GMWatch
The Hoodwinked Collaborative
Shawnee Forest Defense
The Shawnee Park and Climate Alliance
Source: Global Justice Ecology Project
There's more about the spectacular failure of the attempts to produce a genetically engineered blight-resistant American chestnut tree on the GMO Promises website.
Image: GJEP