Rewriting the Chestnut's Fate: Breeding and Biocontrol Against Blight

The American chestnut was once a giant of eastern forests. Then a fungal blight nearly wiped it out, and today Connecticut may have only about 1,000 left. Can it come back? Host Tanimu Deleon talks with Dr. Rachel Jeffrey of Southern Connecticut State University and Dr. Susanna Keriö of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Their two approaches are breeding trees that resist the blight and using a virus that infects the fungus itself. Hear how they're doing it, and how you can help.