Blighted Icon Chestnut Tree Comeback


on the Horizon


The American chestnut tree once dominated the American land- scape from Georgia to Maine, provid- ing the raw ma-


terials that fueled our young nation’s westward expansion and inspiring writings by Longfellow and Thoreau. But by the 1950s, the trees, stricken by blight, were all but extinct. Now, after 30 years of breeding and crossbreed- ing, The American Chestnut Founda- tion believes it has developed a poten- tially blight-resistant tree, dubbed the Restoration Chestnut 1.0. The group has adopted a master plan for planting millions of trees in the 19 states of the chestnut’s original range. This year, volunteers in state chapters are establishing seed orchards that will produce regionally adapted nuts for transplanting into the wild.


Solar Powered Capturing Energy from


Asphalt Roads


Asphalt roads through- out the country are well known for soaking up the sun’s rays. Now, new piping technology from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in Massachusetts, is offering a way to trap heat and use it elsewhere, potentially transforming blacktopped streets into giant solar energy collectors. It works by using the sun-warmed asphalt to heat water pumped through tubes embedded a few inches below the road surface. This can help to cool asphalt by utilizing some of the heat that would have remained in the material to heat the circulating water to produce electricity. Researchers are testing different pipe materials and conductive aggregates to add to the asphalt to improve heat absorption. Costs relative to potential returns have yet to be quantified.


Source: ForumForTheFuture.org natural awakenings August 2013 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64