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[Columbia, SC] - What: Riverbanks Zoo and Garden has partnered with the South Carolina Forestry Commission, the North Carolina Zoo and Trees NC to reintroduce the American chestnut tree, a tree that was nearly decimated in the early 1900s, to South Carolina. This Earth Day, Riverbanks Botanical Garden will plant and dedicate two American chestnut trees, donated by the SC Forestry Commission. As part of the ceremony, members of the Riverbanks Junior Master Gardener program will present the history of the tree. The Project: The American chestnut tree was almost completely eliminated by chestnut blight, a fungal disease, in the early 1900s. It is estimated that only a few clumps of trees survived the disease. Several years ago, Trees NC received American chestnut seeds from The American Chestnut Foundation. The seeds originated from one of the last surviving American chestnut trees in Adair County, KY. Trees NC partnered with the North Carolina Zoo to propagate the seeds and grow the trees. Since then, more than 30 trees have been reproduced. More than 20 of those trees have been distributed and planted in various areas of North Carolina, as well as Princeton, NJ. Of the four trees that remain, two trees were given to the South Carolina Forestry Commission, who in turn dedicated them to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, where they will be grown, monitored, propagated and used as an educational tool in hopes they can be shared with other public entities for years to come. The remaining two trees are slated for reintroduction at Independence Park in Philadelphia, PA, this spring.
When: Earth Day Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:00am Where: Riverbanks Botanical Garden 1300 Botanical Parkway West Columbia, SC 29169
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