Looking for Healthy Butternut Trees

Butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) are not common. Many people may have never tasted the nuts, which are prized in eastern N. America, where they are native. The tree is plagued by butternut canker, which has wiped out 80% of Juglans cinerea in some US states. To promote the tree researchers are searching the tree's native range for healthy stock to use in breeding research.

The Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture has created a butternut orchard in Corvallis, Oregon as part of its germplasm repository. Scientists at the facility are trying to breed trees with larger tastier nuts as well as disease resistance. Researchers from the service will be touring several states this year in search of healthy trees.

Mike Ostry, a US Forest Service research plant pathologist has also been looking for healthy butternut trees. He feels that the best hope for the future of the tree is in finding trees that are naturally resistant to the canker.

Links:

• Butternuts Protected in Oregon Orchard from the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture


• Butternut blues - US butternut tree, endangered species from American Forests (1993)


• Juglans cinerea L. Butternut a plant profile from Natural Resources Canada


• How to Identify Butternut Canker and Manage Butternut Trees from the US Department of Agriculture

Like some black walnuts, butternuts produce toxins that inhibit the growth of some plants in their vicinity. People interested in the tree may want to read more about this trait.
Link: Walnut and Butternut Toxicity from the University of Wisconsin-Extension (PDF)

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:17 PM on July 12, 2005