Setting an AAB trap
On March 26, six volunteers braved a rainy morning to work in the Roland Orchard in Fauquier County. Eighty-six traps were baited and set for Asian Ambrosia Beetles (AAB), which are a serious threat to the health of chestnut trees. In addition, the volunteers measured the height and girth of the trees to ascertain rates of growth since their last measurement.
Measuring the girth of trees
The Roland Orchard, planted in 2008, is one of the oldest and healthiest orchards in Virginia. The trees in the orchard are backcrossed, combining genetic material from American chestnuts and a small percentage from Chinese chestnuts. The plan is to inoculate the trees in 2015 or 2016. Seeds from trees that prove to be blight resistant will then be intercrossed and the resulting seed will be used to establish a seed orchard where we will be selecting specimens with full blight resistance that equals the original Asian source of resistance.
